Death crash Pc 'remembers little'

Both officers deny the charge

A traffic policeman whose car collided head-on with another vehicle, killing the driver, can remember little of the high-speed crash, a court heard.

Peter Williams, 67, of Bolton-le-Sands, was driving his VW Touran with wife Jean when the head-on crash happened in north Lancashire in November 2006.

Pc Sean Schofield, 38, had been driving at 104mph (167km/h) in an exercise moments before the accident.

Mr Schofield and Andrew Massingham deny causing death by dangerous driving.

Mr Schofield's marked Volvo T5 was following another car driven by trainer Mr Massingham, 41, and was carrying passenger Pc Jason Colclough.

I have no recollection of ambulances, the fire engines or a helicopter Pc Sean Schofield

Mr Schofield told Liverpool Crown Court: "I can remember seeing the car turn left and it turned right into me, after that nothing.

"The next thing I know is Pc Massingham standing at the driver's side window and 'saying are you all right?'

"Jason Colclough had a lump on his head and he said he was fine, that's it.

"My next memory and I can't understand why I've done it, I'm at the back of the car on the phone to my wife and I said: 'It's okay sweetheart, I've just had a bump, it's nothing to worry'.

"I can't say where I got the phone from. I have no recollection of ambulances, the fire engines or a helicopter.

"It's as though I had shut my eyes and the next minute everything was there."

Mr Schofield was flown from the crash scene near Over Kellett, Lancashire, to hospital in Preston by the police helicopter, but said he did not remember the ride.

Mr and Mrs Williams had been on their way to a weekend away in the Yorkshire Dales when the crash happened on a stretch of the B6254 with a 60mph (96.5km/h) speed limit, the court heard.

Mr Massingham was the instructor for the training exercise and prosecutors allege that he was dictating the speed his trainee was driving.

Mr Williams, a retired lecturer, died in hospital the day after the crash.

The trial continues.