Family 'robbed of goodbyes' as two nans killed by driver with poor eyesight
The family of a 79-year-old grandmother who was killed alongside her friend after being hit by a car said they had "no opportunity to say goodbye" and "no chance to say I love you".
Marie Cunningham and her friend Grace Foulds both died after being hit by an Audi on Lulworth Road in Southport, Merseyside, on November 30, 2021. Driver Glyn Jones, who had repeatedly been warned for more than a decade that he was unfit to drive due to his eyesight, was jailed on Friday for causing their deaths by dangerous driving.
The 68-year-old was told by his optician and GP on several occasions that his vision was well below the standard required for driving a vehicle but he did not inform the DVLA or insurers. He hit Ms Cunningham and Ms Foulds, and then failed a roadside eye test.
Marie Cunningham's family said they did not have a chance to say goodbye (PA)Both pensioners were taken to hospital from the scene in Lulworth Road, but died in hospital from multiple catastrophic injuries. On Friday, Jones, of Blackgate Lane, Tarleton, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to seven years and four months in jail, said Merseyside Police.
He was also banned from driving for nine years and 10 months after he pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, police added. Detective Sergeant Andy Roper, lead investigating officer, said: "This is an extremely sad case in which two women lost their lives and our thoughts, sympathies and support very much remain with both families.
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"It has been a long and complicated investigation that required detailed analysis of the eyesight records of Mr Jones by an expert optometrist with over 40 years' experience in the field. He concluded Mr Jones' vision was well below the standard required for driving a vehicle and he was informed of this on several occasions by opticians and his GP.
"He chose to ignore this and continued to drive despite the expert optometrist concluding that 'his vision without any correction would have been so poor that he would not have managed to see the steering wheel of his vehicle clearly'. This was an entirely preventable collision where the decisions made by Mr Jones have resulted in devastating consequences, leaving two families grieving and his own life being ruined.
"I hope that this sends out a strong message to all motorists. There are potentially life-changing consequences for failing to meet the driving standards and laws of our roads. It is vitally important that drivers have their eyes tested regularly and, if needed, wear the appropriate corrective lens/glasses. Drivers should also notify insurers and the DVLA of any notifiable medical conditions or disabilities - of which there are over 180 of them that can be viewed on the DVLA website."
Glyn Jones's vision was 'well below the standard required' (Liverpool Echo)
Grace Foulds was killed alongside her friend Marie (PA)Ms Cunningham's family said she was "a loving and dedicated wife", "a wonderful and much-loved mum to her five children", as well as a grandmother and great-grandmother. A statement read out to Liverpool Crown Court on behalf of Ms Cunningham's family during the sentencing said: "Mum was born in Liverpool on the 14th of May 1942 to William and Margaret Burkert. She was the eldest of nine, she had seven brothers and one sister.
"Mum and dad, James Cunningham, first met when they were very young. They grew up together in tough times in the heart of Liverpool. They attended the same school and lived a couple of streets away from each other. Dad would say that it was love at first sight.
"Even when he had to move for work to London, they wrote love letters to each other every week. They were never truly apart. They were eventually married on the 26th of August 1961. Mum was a loving and dedicated wife for over 60 years.
"She was a wonderful and much-loved mum to her five children. She was a nana to her nine grandchildren and a great-nana to her eight great-grandchildren. Mum was the head of a very large, extensive family. At the last count, there was over a hundred family members."
The statement added the woman "worked all her life in jobs that gave her a sense of closeness with people" and she always judged work, life and looking after her children. When the woman's husband died in 2011, she was left "withdrawn and depressed", the statement read.
It went on to say: "Being as determined and resilient as mum was, she eventually carved a new chapter for herself - making more time to socialise with friends and family. Mum was motivated by new experiences and found the courage to travel abroad freely.
"She was setting examples to the younger members of our family about being independent and living your life to the fullest. If not travelling, mum's local life involved keeping extremely fit and healthy. She was outgoing, warm, friendly and loving. She exercised regularly, including walking over five miles a day.
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The two friends were struck and killed by Glyn Jones' Audi in Southport (Liverpool Echo)"She was a long-standing member of her gym, attending the aqua aerobics classes three times a week which was followed by lunch with her friends. Mum loved the Tuesday 2 o'clock club, where she would catch up with Grace. It was after this when her and Grace were sadly killed. Mum and Grace were practising Catholics."
It added: "The last time we all saw mum was in the trauma centre at Fazakerley Hospital. After that agonising wait in the relative's room, we met one of the consultants who had cared for mum. He explained to us that the car which hit mum had done so with such force that her injuries were unsurvivable. The injuries were unbelievable.
"The multidisciplinary team supporting mum had come to a decision that, because of the catalogue of injuries she had sustained, they were unable to save her - even with their knowledge and dedicated care. Our poor, lovely mum lay there in pieces.
"We arranged for her to receive the last rites from the on-call priest, as we knew this would be very important to her. It was devastating. We were unable to do anything. We could only hold her hand and watch on helplessly as the doctors turned off the life support machines - no opportunity to say goodbye, no chance to say I love you.
"It wasn't too long after the life support was switched off that she slipped away. The anaesthetist announced mum's death, and he said that in his career to date he had never seen so many people with so much love for someone - he was, himself, overwhelmed.
"Mum was a very respected and well known figure within the community and the matriarch of our extensive family. At the funeral, the outpouring of grief, emotion and anger of those mum knew was powerful."
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