Tributes paid to motorcyclist, as lorry driver from Ely avoids prison after accident
Alan Howe, 55, has avoided prison after pleading guilty to causing the death of 63-year-old motorcyclist in a crash in Lincolnshire
A lorry driver from Ely has been handed a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to causing the death of motorcyclist Rowan Day in a collision on the A151 Corby Road, Grimsthorpe.
Alan Howe, the driver of the white Mercedes Actros articulated lorry, was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court to nine months in custody, suspended for two years. He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay a £1,000 fine. Howe had pleaded guilty partway through his trial.
The fatal incident took place on 3 November 2022, when 63-year-old Rowan Day was riding his BMW 800 motorcycle home from work. Howe's lorry jack-knifed after its nearside wheels left the road, crossing into the path of Day's motorcycle. Day tragically died at the scene.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Day's wife, Mrs Day, described the profound impact the tragedy has had on her family. "The driver made a mistake which has changed my life, my son’s, and my granddaughter’s lives forever; the pain it has caused is incredible," she said.
Tachograph data showed that Howe’s lorry had been travelling at around 30 mph when it veered off the road. Witnesses described the lorry’s driving before the crash as safe and considerate, but the accident resulted in Day's death.