Falmouth death driver broadsided victim in Penzance
7:20am Wednesday 3rd October 2012 in News
The death of a motorist days before Christmas last year was caused by a Falmouth driver who hit him at a crossroads in Penzance, a court heard.
The accident happened on December 21 and the victim, 59-year-old Philip John Slimmon died the following day.
At Truro Magistrates’ Court Alexander Tacchi, 27, of Spernen Wyn Road, Falmouth, pleaded guilty to causing Mr Slimmon’s death by careless driving.
Alison May for the Crown Prosecution Service said the collision occurred at 8.30pm when Tacchi, travelling from Newlyn, failed to see a stop sign and drove into the path of the other car which was travelling towards Penzance.
Mr Slimmon’s car, a Vauxhall Cavalier, was hit on the offside, causing it to rotate, mount the verge, turn over and collide with a wall on the other side of the road, coming to rest on its roof.
Mr Slimmon was thrown from the vehicle, falling beneath it, and sustaining fatal injuries.
He had not been wearing a seat belt at the time.
Tacchi, who had no previous convictions, was represented by solicitor Neil Lewin who said his client, his mother-in-law and her daughter had gone to see the Christmas lights at Mousehole that night.
He was not familiar with the road and had researched the way there before leaving.
He had been driving a motorcycle for four to five years and driving a car for between four and five months.
He failed to stop at the junction at the Trereife Crossroads, not having seen the stop sign.
Mr Lewin said: “He has been over and over in his head repeatedly on a day-to-day basis the reason why he did not see the sign.
“He says he cannot give any obvious reason and knows he is the cause of this accident and the death.”
Tacchi still has nightmares and flashbacks and was extremely remorseful.
“It will haunt him for the rest of his life” said Mr Lewin.
Chairman of the magistrates, Fiona Roberts, said: “My colleagues and I have been on the Bench in excess of 16 years and very rarely have had to deal with such tragedy in this court, and our deepest sympathy goes to Mr Slimmon’s family who are here today.”
Tacchi was given a 12-month community order and told to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, put on curfew on Wednesday and Saturday nights for eight weeks and told to pay £60 costs. He was also banned from driving for a year.
