Death crash driver is fined £750

Terrance Wood was thrown from his four-wheeled trap

A motorist from Teesside who caused the death of a father and seriously injured his teenage son, has been spared jail.

Lisa Tomlinson, 26, from Eton Road in Stockton, ploughed into the back of a horse-drawn trap driven by Terrance Wood on the A689 in County Durham.

The 40-year-old, from the village of Leeholme, died in hospital.

Tomlinson was cleared at Teesside Crown Court of dangerous driving, but convicted of careless driving, fined £750 and given a three-year ban.

The court heard Mr Wood was driving his four-wheeled trap on the Coundon bypass, near Bishop Auckland, in April 2006 when it was hit by the Nissan Micra.

Family 'devastated'

The impact caused him to crash into a trap being driven by his 14-year-old son Lewis, who suffered a fractured pelvis and concussion.

One of their horses had to be put down after the incident.

In a statement, the family said: "The loss of my husband has had the most devastating effect on my life and that of my children.

"No sentence can return him to us but as I try to pick up my life and support my children his loss is felt continually.

"The family are devastated by today's result."