Family of A1 County Durham crash victims call for mandatory lifelong driving bans
A baby boy and his aunty died in May
Last updated 23rd Jul 2024
There is a call for mandatory lifelong driving bans for deaths caused by dangerous driving after a baby and his aunty died in a collision on the A1 in County Durham.
Eight month-old Zackary Blades and 30 year-old Karlene Warner, from Ferryhill, were in a Peugeot 308 driven Shalorna Warner, the boy's mum and Karlene's sister, on the motorway on the 31st May this year.
They died instantly when the driver of an Audi Q5, who was speeding at 141mph, crashed into them.
3\8 year-old Darryl Anderson from Rotherham had been drinking and seconds before the crash used his phone to take a photo of his speedometer.
He was jailed for 17 years and three months earlier this month.
Shalorna has started a petition calling for the implementation of mandatory lifelong driving bans for deaths caused by dangerous driving. It has over 20,000 signatures so far.
"It just made me sick what Zack and Karlene had gone through and how they had no chance of surviving."
Shalorna said: "It's just haunting that whole night and re-living it all, putting yourself in their shoes, it's just scarred me and the rest of my family. We're just all in bits. There are no words to describe how it's torn everyone apart.
"We got told before the sentencing that he doesn't fit the guidelines to get a life sentence, which in itself is just ridiculous, but the one thing the judge can give is a lifetime ban and I think anyone that causes a death by dangerous driving should never drive again.
"I struggle to look at pictures and videos of him just because it's just so painful knowing what would then happen to him. It's just hard. Your body works in weird ways and I think my body tries to block a lot of it out just because the night is just something that you'll never ever get over.
"This happened to our family and when I say it can happen to absolutely anyone it really, really can. It could be anyone sitting listening or watching this that this could happen to. I just hope if it did happen to anyone, then at least this is something, the lifetime ban, that's one less thing that you have to worry about.
"We were told all the information and details like the speed. I feel physically sick because my mam's always said 'Shalorna, they had no chance of surviving', and when I heard the speed, how much he drank and using his phone seconds before, it just made me sick what Zack and Karlene had gone through and how they had no chance of surviving.
"In the ambulance someone said 'oh, he's been arrested' and straight away I was like 'had he been drinking?' and I remember someone nodded. It was just pure anger at how this could have been avoided and then when we found out the speed, we knew he must have been using his phone to be so distracted."
"Zack and Karlene were so innocent."
Shalorna added: "Zack was my whole world. I was his mother and it's just changed mine and my partner's life. You just don't ever imagine it. It's a parent's worse nightmare and it's just really hard. My sister left behind a daughter.
"They decided, knowing the actions, to disregard the law, disregard the government, disregard to anyone else on the road and putting everyone else at risk. Why should they be given a driving licence back?
"Zack and Karlene were so innocent. So innocent. They were wearing their seatbelts, Zack was securely fastened in his car seat and it was someone else's decision that took them away and that's why he should never drive again. It's something that should then be carried on for other people so they don't have to go through what we're going through now.
"When something like this does happen, when death has been caused, they knew what situation they were in getting into a vehicle with the speeding. They know the speed and it's just dangerous putting everyone else at risk, so of course to me why should he be given a second chance? On this case it's his third chance.
"I get that accidents happen with someone just not checking their blindspot and just like accidents do happen, but this is someone that's intentionally gone out on the road, knowing that they're speeding and drinking and using their phone. It's just what do you expect to happen?"
"Tremendous courage."
Sam Rushworth, MP for Bishop Auckland, said: "I'm a dad and I just can't imagine what it must feel like to lose a child but to lose your family knowing that the person who caused it behaved in such a completely reckless, selfish and disgraceful way.
"I think she's so showing tremendous courage actually that so soon after, she's thinking about other people and she's launched this campaign. I absolutely commend her for it. I'd be happy to sign that petition myself and take up that cause."
Sam says his grandma died in a death by dangerous driving incident years ago, with her killer spending nine years behind bars. He added: "I think it makes perfect sense actually to say it's the ultimate form of community penalty and let's face it, this isn't just kind of a lapse of judgement for a moment, this driver behaved in an absolutely despicable manner and he shouldn't ever be behind the wheel of a car again. I think he should lose that privilege for life. I think she's absolutely right.
"We need to look at a lot of sentencing guidelines. We know unfortunately that one of the other messes that this Government has inherited is prisons that are so full, there's no longer new prison places and so actually, I think it's quite a thoughtful and creative way to apply an appropriate punishment and I think that should be in the mix in the guidelines that judges have available to them.
"I absolutely commend her for what she's doing and the courage it must take to be campaigning so soon after that tragedy. It's why we send MPs to Parliament to be the voice of the people and to represent people like her. I think we as the people should have a right to make that case."