AN Oakworth man has been cleared of causing death by careless driving following a trial at Bradford & Keighley Magistrates Court.

David Stell, 62, of Moorlands Avenue, had been charged with causing death by careless/inconsiderate driving without due care and attention following an accident on December 14, 2021, in Keighley Road, Oakworth, which resulted in the death of Peter Kelly.

Mr Kelly was struck by a Toyota Supra driven by the defendant.

Two witnesses described seeing Mr Kelly on the roadside, and whilst they didn't witness the actual impact, both said they heard a "loud bang" and saw him being "thrown over the car".

Prosecuting, Alasdair Campbell said Mr Stell had a "lapse in concentration".

"He took his eye off the ball and had just about enough time to make a full stop before the impact," he said.

"In an interview, Mr Stell said he could see a man (Mr Kelly) standing on the pavement from 50 metres away.

"Even though he did not see him stepping directly onto Keighley Road, he should have been on notice."

During the court case, the prosecution called on the expert testimony of Robert Eyre, West Yorkshire Police senior forensic collision investigator.

Mr Eyre said: "Most drivers (in a similar situation) would need a minimum of between 1.6 seconds and 2.1 seconds to react.

"In this instance, 1.85 seconds would have been enough to avoid the collision."

Called to give evidence, Mr Stell said: "I saw him (Mr Kelly) several yards down the road, perhaps 50 yards, just standing near the junction of Oakbank Broadway.

"The next time I saw him was the point of impact. I was watching the road ahead as I knew there was a slightly blind junction ahead that I had to pay attention to.

"It happened so suddenly. I didn't expect him to step into Keighley Road. I was driving with care and paying attention to my surroundings.

"There was nothing I could do to avoid the collision."

The defence argued that drivers couldn't be expected to anticipate every eventuality and that Mr Stell had done what he could to prevent a collision, adding that it was "borderline whether the collision was truly avoidable".

Judge Alexander Boyd said: "This was a tragic incident that resulted in the death of Peter Kelly. It's a sad loss felt by his family and my condolences are with them."

He added that Mr Stell had a "momentary lapse" but was "a man of good character" who was "consistent throughout giving evidence that he was concentrating on the road ahead".

Afterwards, Mr Kelly's son, Shaun, paid tribute to his dad, saying: "He was a much-loved husband, father, grandfather and friend.

"Losing him was very hard for us as a family. He was a cornerstone who kept everybody together."