A cabbie died after his car was struck head-on by a speeding motorist.
The Glasgow Times reports that Edward Cullen, 55, was hit by Scott Gilligan, 35, on the A736, Barrhead, on June 14, 2021.
Mr Cullen's vehicle then collided with pedestrian Margaret Mansell, 60, propelling her into the air. Miss Mansell landed in a hedge and suffered serious injuries including fractured ribs as well as kidney damage.
Mr Cullen had only returned to work having suffered a heart attack in the previous October.
The cabbie died from his chest injuries in September 2021 with heart disease being a potential contributing cause.
Gilligan, of Paisley, pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to causing serious injury and death by dangerous driving and to driving without insurance for the vehicle.
Mr Cullen's wife Margaret stated: "Eddie was my future and I cannot see a future now. [Gilligan] has taken all my future memories and happiness away. I will never be the same person."
The court heard Mr Cullen was driving his Skoda Octavia taxi normally and within the speed limit at the time.
Prosecutor Margaret Barron said: "Witnesses behind Mr Cullen's car saw Gilligan's vehicle enter their lane at a bend on the road.
"He drove at speed, before colliding head on with Mr Cullen's vehicle. The collision caused Mr Cullen's vehicle to strike Miss Mansell."
Emergency services attended and pulled Miss Mansell out of the hedge before being taken to hospital.
Mr Cullen meantime was found trapped inside the driver's seat of the taxi - he was conscious and breathing but unable to remove himself due to his injuries and damage to the vehicle.
Mr Cullen was able to tell police that he was in pain and that he had "not long started back" work following a heart operation.
Gilligan was described as being confused at the scene and asked what had happened.
He provided a negative sample for alcohol and drugs in his system.
An investigation determined that Gilligan had driven at 69 miles per hour and straddled the white lines before the collision.
No defects were found in either the Vauxhall Insignia Gilligan had driven or Mr Cullen's taxi.
Mr Cullen sustained fractures to his breast bone, ribs, lower back and right foot. He also suffered a damaged spleen and a neck bone break.
Miss Barron added: "He had ongoing issues with ICU-acquired weakness and also had marked evidence of ongoing respiratory disease following prolonged ventilation."
After three months, Mr Cullen's condition deteriorated and further invasive ventilation was decided against. He passed away in hospital on September 10 with his family at his bedside.
His cause of death was primarily determined as "complications from chest injuries due to road traffic collision". A potential contributing cause was "ischaemic heart disease."
It was revealed Gilligan has seven previous convictions including a number of road traffic matters.
Robert Mitchell, defending, said: "He is aware a custodial sentence is inevitable now."
Sentence was deferred pending background reports by Judge Lady Stacey until next month who remanded Gilligan in custody meantime.
She said: "I'm sure you know your dangerous driving that day had catastrophic consequences.
"You yourself were injured but the catastrophe is Mr Cullen died and Miss Mansell was very seriously injured.
"That has consequences for the two families in future - it is a very serious crime and as your lawyer advised a custodial sentence is inevitable."
Source: https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/23861035.taxi-driver-died-car-crash-speeding-motorist-barrhead/
Some taxi drivers have seen their businesses damaged due to the implementation of a single hackney carriage zone for North Yorkshire, according to a councillor.
Liberal Democrat Cllr Barbara Brodigan, delivered a 238-strong petition to North Yorkshire Council’s ruling Conservative executive on 17 October, that protests against the abolition of the previous seven zones which covered each former district council area.
The changes, which came into effect on April 1, mean that drivers can now operate across the county, rather than being limited to areas such as the former Harrogate district.
But Cllr Brodigan said it has resulted in drivers flooding into urban areas like Harrogate which has left rural villages and market towns without taxis.
As part of the petition, residents were surveyed on the impact of the new single zone.
Cllr Brodigan claimed that one person was overcharged by £20 because a taxi driver got lost and that vulnerable residents are “wary” of drivers they don’t recognise.
Cllr Brodigan said: “In Harrogate they are having to find extra spaces due to influx of taxis. Over supply of taxis in hotspots are leaving rural and market towns empty.”
Despite the single zone already being operational, a report that went before the executive said there had been a mistake in relation to the abolition of the previous seven hackney carriage zones.
Councillors were asked in the report to retrospectively confirm the abolition of the zones again to provide “emphatic clarity to its position”.
However, Ripon-based Richard Fieldman, who represented 70 hackney cab drivers, urged councillors to delay the decision as legal advice he received suggested the decision should be made during a full meeting of the council and not by its executive.
Mr Fieldman said: “There’s a straight forward statutory process and North Yorkshire Council failed to follow this process. On behalf of those I speak for, I ask you not to compound an already bad position by passing an illegal position but instead refer the matter to full council for full consideration.”
In response, Cllr Greg White and the council’s chief legal officer Barry Khan both said they were satisfied that the executive had the right to make the decision.
The executive voted unanimously to confirm the abolition of the seven zones and to create the single zone.
Taxi and private hire drivers are divided over whether the notoriously difficult geographical “knowledge test” should be scrapped.
Bracknell News reports that members of the council’s licensing committee are set to vote on whether to get rid of the test on Thursday, October 19.
Bracknell Forest Council documents suggest that the widespread use of SatNavs means the test may no longer be necessary.
A consultation of hackney carriage and private hire drivers run ahead of the vote revealed the two groups are divided over whether or not the council should keep it.
Some hackney drivers said the test should stay, arguing that SatNavs can be unreliable.
One person who took part said: “I feel very strongly that all licensed drivers should have knowledge of the local area as we are obliged to take the shortest route and SatNavs are not that accurate.
“Also knowledge of guest houses, care homes and doctors surgeries etc should be essential to doing an efficient job.”
But another response said SatNav technology meant the knowledge test is no longer needed – and that having to pass it can stop many aspiring drivers from getting a job.
It said: “This requirement discourages potential drivers from pursuing a livelihood in the private hire industry, limiting the opportunities for private hire operators to recruit more drivers.”
It adds: “Furthermore, advancements in technology have made access to accurate navigation tools more prevalent than ever. Many private hire drivers have GPS navigation apps and vehicles are equipped with GPS systems that provide real time directions, which can be relied upon to ensure passengers reach their destination promptly and safely.”
Other responses argued that the knowledge test should stay for hackney drivers but shouldn’t be compulsory for private hire drivers.
One person said: “I would agree that hackney carriage drivers should have a good level of knowledge of the local area as they hail customers.
“I don't think that private hire drivers would need to necessarily retain this element for the nature of the business, being on advance booking only there is an element of preparation of route for the driver before he/she is dispatched.”
Council documents say some 39 responses to the consultation were received, and that 65 per cent agreed the test should be kept, while 28 per cent disagreed.
It added that there seemed to be a “clear divide” between hackney carriage drivers who wanted to keep the test and private hire drivers who thought it should go.
Councillors were set to make their decision at the meeting on Thursday, October 19.
Twelve taxi and private hire licences have been revoked across South Ayrshire because drivers failed to complete mandatory training, a report has revealed.
The Ayr Advertiser reports that there are currently 442 taxi and 86 private hire licensed drivers operating across South Ayrshire, and all drivers must complete their mandatory training within six months of receiving their licence.
At the last two meetings of South Ayrshire Council's regulatory panel councillors heard that 12 taxi or private hire vehicle driver licences were revoked because the drivers concerned had failed the mandatory training.
Councillor Martin Kilbride, who chaired the regulatory panel's meeting on August 31, said: “It is clear that there is a high number of drivers who have not completed their training, as required by their licence.
“We remind all drivers that they must complete their training within six months of the issuing of their licence.
"We also remind all drivers to respond promptly to any correspondence from our licensing team.”
An Oxford taxi driver has been beaten and robbed by three passengers but despite clear dashcam footage of the attack no arrests have been made.
The driver, working for 001 Taxis, pulled his cab over when the passengers were unable to pay the fare.
The distraught cabbie confirmed £170 was taken in the attack which took place on Harebell Road at around 2.30am on Saturday October 16.
The Oxford Mail reports dashcam footage from inside the car shows the driver being continually threatened and repeatedly hit by the attackers.
During the incident, one of the attackers said: “Where is your f*****g money? Give me your money now or I will kill you."
The taxi driver responds by saying “take it” before pleading for help.
“Help me please, help me, please they hit me," the driver said during the attack.
Following the assault, an ambulance attended the taxi driver’s house at 6.15am. He then took himself to John Radcliffe Hospital A&E department due to head injuries he suffered.
He is now waiting for an MRI scan after visiting his GP who has advised him to stay at home to recover and not return to work.
General manager of 001 Taxis, Amir Khan said: “We have CCTV footage which has been passed onto the police and will be working with them to try and catch the people involved.
“We hold the safety of all our drivers and passengers in the highest regard and do everything we can to both mitigate risk, but also deal with any incidents should they occur.
A Thames Valley police spokesman said: “An investigation is ongoing and if anyone has any information please call 101 or make a report online quoting the reference 43230462276.”
Source: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/23862185.oxford-taxi-driver-attacked-early-hours-blackbird-leys/
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