Wife briefly let go of husband's hand as they walked to car - then he was killed
A devastated wife has recalled the moment she briefly let go of her husband’s hand to adjust her hood - before he was suddenly killed by a drunk driver.
Robert Palmer, 77, was in good health for his age when he and wife Margaret were walking to their car after a routine hospital appointment last year. As they strolled, Margaret was clutching Robert's arm. She momentarily let go to put her hood up, but within seconds, she would come to learn that her husband of 59 years had been hit by a drunk driver.
Margaret recalls hearing an almighty bang, before she saw a figure 'flying through the air’. She said: "I turned to Robert to speak to him, but of course he wasn't there. It [was] Robert's body that was now lying on the pavement some feet in front of me."
Drunk driver Tom Ferguson, 29, was in the middle of a four-day bender at nearby hotel. He got behind the wheel of his BMW over twice the speed limit and swerved between lanes as he drove up to Buxton, where he mounted the pavement where Robert and Margaret were walking.
Robert, 77, suffered severe head injuries and went into cardiac arrest. He was rushed to Stepping Hill Hospital, but his condition quickly deteriorated and he passed away in the early hours of November 10 last year. Ferguson was sentenced on Friday, March 8, 2024 at Minshull Street Crown Court.
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The reckless driver was jailed for 12 years, of which he will serve two thirds in prison, before being considered for release by the Parole Board. He is then due an extended licence period of three years, and was banned from driving for five years.
Drunk driver Tom Ferguson was jailed for 12 years (MEN MEDIA)In a heartbreaking statement to the court, Margaret said: "This person destroyed the love of my life and my best friend. Robert's life was taken needlessly, in the most awful way and so undeserving for someone who was so full of life and lived life with such integrity.
"On that fateful day, we'd been to Stepping HIll Hospital to the shoulder clinic as I fractured the neck of my humours in May last year. We were on our way back to get the car from Sainsbury's car park where Robert had parked because there wasn't any space in the hospital car parks.
"We were walking on the pavement and planning where to go for lunch after we had done some shopping. Robert, being a true gentleman, was walking on the outside to protect me from traffic, as he always did.
"I always appreciated this but never thought the worst scenario would come to pass - how wrong I was. That vision of Robert in front of me on the floor is something that I cannot get out of my head."
The couple, who met aged 17 and married at 18, spent 59 blissful years together before Robert's shock death. At the time of the crash, Margaret screamed out for someone to call 999, before a member of the public managed to stop a passing ambulance. The mum then had to break the news to her daughter and Robert's sister.
Margaret said: "We held his hand, cried, told him we loved him and played his favourite music to him in the hope that he could hear us, all whilst our hearts were breaking.
"I can't explain the anguish and helplessness you feel in that situation. No one should have to go through it. Seeing Robert, who had been a fit and healthy man, slowly deteriorating before our eyes is just something you can't comprehend when the cause is so senseless.
"You sit there with the machines beeping, waiting for changes on the monitor, thinking 'how long have we got with him before he leaves us forever?' and knowing that it's going to destroy our world. I wake up every morning knowing full well that there is another day looming where I will not see him, or be able to talk to him, and will not be getting my usual kiss and cuddle first thing in the morning.
Margaret shared a heartbreaking statement at Minshull Street Crown Court (MEN Media)She continued: "I miss him so much and cry every day. The mornings are the worst, as I would normally hear him moving about and he'd always come in to check if I was okay and dry my back after my shower since I'd broken my arm. Now I have silence.
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"The events seem long and lonely without Robert and I sit in his chair as I can't bear to look at it without him in it."
Margaret said Robert was healthy for his age, and had an active life - playing golf three to four times a week, going to the gym and walking. Robert was close with his sister Jane, often taking on handy work around the house, and he also had a loving relationship with his 20-year-old grandson. "He will never be able to see what kind of young man he will grow to be and never be able to see him get married or see his great grandchildren," Margaret said.
Their daughter's life has been turned 'completely upside down', she said, adding: "If she was ever stressed or upset in the past she would call us. Robert was always there to support us all and she misses his words of wisdom, his long chats and especially his big hugs. He was always there for her and would drop everything if she needed him. Our biggest supporter, protector and comfort had been taken from us."
She added: "The actions of that one person not only took away Robert's life and future but created this devastating tsunami of grief"
The couple were due to reach their 60th wedding anniversary next year - with Robert already making plans on how they could celebrate. Margaret said. "Alas, because of that one person it won't be happening as we won't have anything to celebrate without Robert. Although I have a good network of friends and a very loving family who are looking after me the best they can, my life will never be the same, nor will my daughter's.
"I am very lonely after being loved so well by Robert and for so long. Robert was the love of my life and I would give anything to have him back for another hug from him. That selfish individual... that took Robert's life away and left so many people bereft, will never be forgiven for what you have done to our family and for the void you have left in our lives."
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