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."
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