**Dentist Distracted by News of Dying Father Causes Fatal Crash, Avoids Jail Sentence**
A woman has avoided a custodial sentence after fatally injuring a cyclist in a car crash, moments after learning her own father was dying. The incident, which took place in the Cheshire countryside, has resulted in heartbreak for the bereaved family of a 75-year-old man who was described by loved ones as ‘the glue’ of his local cycling community.
Lucinda Collins, 40, a dentist from Upton, Cheshire, had been driving with her three-year-old daughter when tragedy struck on 25 August 2022. Collins was on a hands-free phone call with her mother, learning that there was nothing more that could be done for her gravely ill father. Distracted and distraught, she failed to see several ‘stop’ signs at a rural junction and proceeded into the path of another vehicle.
According to evidence disclosed at Chester Crown Court, Collins’ BMW collided with another car, which was then pushed directly into the path of Roger Dutton, a 75-year-old cyclist from Holywell, North Wales. Mr Dutton was fatally injured at the scene, which was on Brown Heath Road between the villages of Waverton and Christleton.
Mr Dutton was a retired builder and a long-standing member of the Simply Grey Cycling Club, where he had garnered respect for his vigour and zest for life, contradicting stereotypes about older age. Prosecutor James Coutts told the court that Mr Dutton was enjoying a sunny summer ride at the time of the incident and was considered an integral part of his cycling group.
The emotional impact on Mr Dutton’s family has been devastating. His wife, Dale, shared a heart-breaking victim statement in which she described her overwhelming sense of loss and said the emptiness left behind was “so big”. “We will never see his smiling face or hear his laughter again. He was everything to me. I am broken. He was the light of our lives,” she told the court.
Other members of Mr Dutton’s family also addressed Collins directly. His daughter, Olivia, looked at Collins as she read her statement, saying, “You and your actions alone have left our family devastated and broken. I miss him to my very core.” His son, Joel, called his father both his hero and best friend, underlining just how profound the sense of loss has been for the family.
The court heard that Collins admitted to causing death by dangerous driving at an earlier hearing. She explained to the police at the scene that she had simply lost concentration while dealing with the news about her father’s condition. There was no suggestion that Collins had been under the influence or driving irresponsibly in any other way prior to receiving the distressing phone call.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Stephen Everett acknowledged the tragic irony of the situation, highlighting that the news about Collins’ father had set in motion a sequence of events resulting in another family losing their loved one. However, Judge Everett noted that Collins had never previously been in trouble with the law and posed no risk to the public. As a result, he stated that a custodial sentence would not be appropriate in this case.
Instead, Lucinda Collins received a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years. She was additionally disqualified from driving for five years, ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid community service, and required to pay £2,260 in costs.
This case serves as a stark reminder of how quickly lives can be changed by a single moment of distraction on the road. The judge’s decision not to impose an immediate prison sentence reflects the court’s view of Collins’ remorse and her previously unblemished record, but it does little to ease the suffering of Mr Dutton’s family, who must now rebuild their lives after an unfathomable loss.
The wider community has been left reflecting on the importance of vigilance and the tragic consequences that can arise from even a split-second lapse in concentration—no matter the circumstances surrounding it.