Skip driver guilty of killing WW2 hero on A1079
A WAR hero was killed on the way to visit his wife in a care home when the car he was travelling in was hit by a truck.
Henry Norman Gostelow, 91, died when skip lorry driver John Jenkinson drove into the car being driven by Mr Gostelow's daughter on the A1079.
Mr Gostelow, who was on his way to visit his wife in a care home, was trapped inside the Ford Ka and died within hours.
Jenkinson, of Laughton Road, Beverley, has now pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.
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Judge John Dowse told him: "You have led a hitherto blameless life but a life has been lost. No sentence can help the family of Mr Gostelow.
"You did what each of us, I suspect, in our daily driving may do – you paid not sufficient enough attention to your driving.
"You didn't leave enough space, you didn't take into proper account the weight of your vehicle and you contributed to Mr Gostelow's death."
Hull Crown Court heard the crash was caused after a motorist slammed on his brakes to avoid striking a pheasant in June last year.
It caused Mr Gostelow's daughter to brake and Jenkinson's lorry crashed into the back of her car, crushing it into the car in front.
Jenkinson, 49, was driving a 32-tonne truck filled with waste for his employer Transwaste at the time and the court heard he was driving too closely to the car carrying Mr Gostelow.
He told the police: "I just misjudged the braking distance."
Jenkinson wept as Judge Dowse banned him from driving for 12 months, ordered him to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and pay £850 court costs.
Father-of-three Mr Gostelow had been married to his wife Jean for 61 years.
Mr Gostelow, of West Ella Road, Kirk Ella, ran a successful leather business for many years in Holderness Road, east Hull.
Judge Dowse described him as a "remarkable man".
He said: "He led an interesting life, making it sadder that he died in such circumstances. He protected merchant ships from enemy artillery and ran a successful business well into his 70s."
Mr Gostelow was a lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy, in charge of protecting merchant ships carrying vital supplies in the Arctic convoys from being bombed during the Second World War. He was a keen yachtsman, mooring his vessel in Bridlington and Brough, and was a member of Hull Golf Club.
After the verdict, his son Tim paid tribute to his father.
He said: "He survived the Nazi bombings and played an important part in the war. He was a real character. Sadly, he didn't survive this.
"He was on his way to visit my mother in a care home in Anlaby. He went to see her every day."
Mr Gostelow Jnr described the sentence given to Jenkinson as "adequate".
He said: "He didn't set out to kill anyone. He has already suffered and will continue to suffer because of it."
Comments
by tamiya
Tuesday, June 11 2013, 8:26AM
“Looks like we have a lot of perfect drivers who never do anything wrong. Hmm.”
by thesnooper
Thursday, October 04 2012, 2:01PM
“@ joelynas
its refering to Henry Gostelow age 91 when the accdent occured, you do the maths.
for your information ww2 ended in1945 just incase you you really are as dumb as your first post makes you out to be”
by dontwo
Thursday, October 04 2012, 7:33AM
“"You did what each of us, I suspect, in our daily driving may do – you paid not sufficient enough attention to your driving". Errr actually your Honour, this guy was supposed to be a "professional" driver. Its what he did for a living almost every day, so I would expect a "professional" driver in charge of a 30 odd tonne lorry to be paying 100 percent attention to his driving.”
by JoeLynas
Thursday, October 04 2012, 2:27AM
“WW2 hero? Come orf it.”
by thesnooper
Wednesday, October 03 2012, 11:36PM
“it doesnt matter what speed you are doing, the braking distance must be relevant to that speed”
by CReader
Wednesday, October 03 2012, 11:23PM
“The Highway Code clearly says you should drive your vehicle in such a way that you must be able to stop within the distance you can see to be clear. In other words, if you drive into a vehicle in front of you, you are either driving too fast or too close. Often a combination of both.”
by thesnooper
Wednesday, October 03 2012, 10:21PM
“@happytrucker2
you would obviously fall into the trap as John Jenkinson as you seem to be blaming the driver that braked for the pheasant.
if you hit the vehicle in front then its YOUR fault for driving too close the the vehicle in front, the vehicle in front should be able to brake hard without the worry that the idiot behind isnt going to ram into them, it would seem you fall into the idiot category”
by Richtreat
Wednesday, October 03 2012, 6:26PM
“"happytrucker2" indeed you are the buffoon here as you have not taken in the detail in the story. The driver told the Police he misjudged his braking distance and the judge commented "You didn't leave enough space, you didn't take into proper account the weight of your vehicle" A professional driver you should take things like this into account and drive accordingly.
Nobody has won here, a family has lost a member and the driver will have to live with this forever.”
by Clem_
Wednesday, October 03 2012, 3:49PM
“Mr. Gostelow lived in Kirk Ella; his wife was in residential accommodation in Anlaby. There was no need to go anywhere near the A1079.”
by happytrucker2
Wednesday, October 03 2012, 3:14PM
“Always the lorry drivers fault! I don't think so, the buffoon who braked hard to avoid a pheasant should look deep into their conscience for their part in causing this tragedy! Never swerve to miss an animal if it puts yourself or others at risk, unless it much larger than your vehicle. Great compassion from the son towards the driver of the lorry, no one sets out to kill or injure another road user.”