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Campaigner Lisa Pontecorvo |
Death crash lorry driver to face court
Charge over fatal accident involving campaigner
THE driver of a cement lorry involved in an accident which claimed the life of one of Islington’s most prominent campaigners has been charged with causing “death by careless driving”, an inquest has heard.
The man, who cannot be named because he has not yet received his court summons, faces a Crown Court appearance following an investigation into the death of Lisa Pontecorvo.
The 64-year-old, who lived in Thornhill Square, Barnsbury, died on September 8 last year at the junction of Holloway Road and Fieldway Crescent, in Holloway.
A St Pancras inquest was told on Tuesday that she was standing in front of the lorry in a traffic jam when it rolled forward from a stationary position.
The hearing heard that an investigation into the death revealed that the driver had failed to replace a broken close proximity mirror, compulsory for lorries like his since 2007. It could have allowed the driver to see Ms Pontecorvo standing in front of the vehicle.
Detective Sergeant David Hindmarsh, of the Collision Investigation Unit, in Euston, said: “The vehicle should have had a close proximity mirror but it did not.
“It was damaged on the Thursday and removed by the driver. He did nothing about it. It would have given a view to the front of the vehicle.”
He added: “The driver is employed by the contractor but he did not inform the contractor. The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute the driver for causing death by dangerous driving. It is a new offence that came into effect in August.”
Det Sgt Hindmarsh told the inquest that the lorry, built in 2007, had been fitted with the mirror as part of new regulations.
Coroner Dr Andrew Reid adjourned the inquest until the court is finished. Det Sgt Hindmarsh said the date for the court hearing had not be set and that the driver and the contractor could not be named.
Dr Reid said: “I have accepted the cause of death to be multiple injuries. We await the outcome of the prosecution.
“When that is concluded we may choose to reopen the inquest.”
Ms Pontecorvo, who was single at the time of her death, was born in Glasgow. She has two cousins, one living in Italy and one in Scotland. Her cousins have been informed about the charge but were not at Tuesday’s inquest.
A freelance BBC TV history researcher, Ms Pontecorvo was the daughter of an eminent Italian scientist, Professor Guido Pontecorvo, who was known as the “godfather of genetics”. Her uncles were the film director, Gillo Pontecorvo, best known for the classic Battle of Algiers, and the renowned physicist Bruno.
Her Swiss art historian mother Leonore, who lived in Hampstead, died in 1986.
Oxford-educated, Ms Pontecorvo was a full-time activist best known for her part in helping transform derelict wasteland into the award-winning Edward Square park, off Copenhagen Street – with support from Poet Laureate Andrew Motion. |
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