Speeding BMW Driver Jailed After Fatal Crash with 90-Year-Old in Solihull
Electrician Runs Red Light, Kills Pensioner
A 25-year-old electrician has been locked up after running a red light in his powerful BMW and smashing into 90-year-old John Sassons Taylor. The tragic incident happened in Solihull on April 3, 2019. Mr Taylor was driving his white Peugeot 208, turning right from Warwick Road onto New Road, when Russell Averis crashed into him.
Speeding at 51mph Through Red Light
Evidence in Birmingham Crown Court revealed Averis accelerated as the lights changed from green to amber and blasted through the red light at an average speed of 51mph – well above the 30mph limit. He hit Mr Taylor’s car so hard it was pushed off the road and the BMW smashed into a tree.
Forensic expert PC Gurvinder Khosa said Averis could have stopped safely within 55 metres if he had obeyed the speed limit when the lights turned amber.
Sentencing and Police Warning
Averis, from Cheswick Green, pleaded guilty to death by dangerous driving and was jailed for three years and four months on November 6. He was also banned from driving for 56 months.
“Once again excessive speed and aggressive driving have resulted in a death on the roads of the West Midlands,” said PC Mark Crozier from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit. “Mr Taylor died because Averis had one intention and that was to ‘beat the red light’.
“Our thoughts remain with Mr Taylor’s family. This conviction is a stark reminder of how dangerous speeding and reckless driving can quickly turn fatal.”
