Death crash driver was sending a text message (From York Press)

Death crash driver was sending a text message

9:33am Tuesday 8th January 2013 in News

A woman has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving in North Yorkshire.

Susan Noble, 29, of Armthorpe, Doncaster, was sentenced at Teesside Crown Court yesterday after she pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to causing the death of Alexandru Braninski, 25, a Romanian national, in a collision on the A19 near Northallerton at 9.10pm on Tuesday, December 27, 2011.

Mr Braninski suffered traumatic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene on the north bound carriageway between the A684 and the A172.

The collision involved a Skoda Octavia, which had stopped at the side of the road because of a tyre puncture and a Ford Fiesta driven by Noble.

Mr Braninski, who was a passenger in the Skoda, was standing behind the vehicle while the wheel was being changed when the Fiesta hit him and pushed the Skoda into a field at the side of the road.

The police secured clear evidence that Noble was using a mobile phone to exchange text messages with a friend.

As well as receiving three years’ imprisonment, Noble has also been disqualified from driving for six years and will have to take an extended driving test.

Traffic Sergeant John Lumbard, of North Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Group, said: “Susan Noble has fully accepted that she is responsible for the death of Mr Braninski due to a serious error of judgement.

“I want this tragedy to send a very clear message to drivers that using mobile phones while driving can and does lead to horrific consequences.

“As well as leaving one man dead, the collision has left a family grieving for their loss and a young woman with the knowledge that she is responsible for his untimely death.”