Driver’s letter of sympathy

A report in the Knaresborough Post (or online) of September 3 was headlined ‘Driver apologises to grieving family’, and also stated that a woman had ‘knocked down and killed a motorcyclist’.
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Both the headline and the summary of the accident were incorrect.

We wish to make it clear that the driver, Mrs Linda Slater, was found not guilty of careless driving by a jury at York Crown Court.

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The report should have stated that the motorcyclist died after the bike and the car collided. The article referred to a letter sent by Mrs Slater to the victim’s family. Mrs Slater has asked us to make clear she had sent a letter of condolence which contained her sincere sympathy for the family’s loss after the tragic accident. It should not have been described as a letter of apology as it did not state that Mrs Slater had caused the accident or include anything to suggest that she was in any way responsible for the fatality.

Mrs Slater said: “Due to being deeply saddened by the death, I wanted to express my sincere sympathy to the family for their loss of their son. I therefore, wrote a letter of

condolence, expressing my feelings. The night of this accident will live with me for the rest of my life and I will always think about this young man. I did not write apologising for causing the accident which was just that - a very tragic accident.”

We sincerely apologise to Mrs Slater for the errors and the upset this has caused.