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Text messaging blamed for pedestrian's death

Graeme Wearden ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 12 Feb 2001 15:50 GMT

A lorry driver was accused Monday of killing a pedestrian while typing a text message on his mobile phone.

Paul Browning of Kenley, Surrey, pleaded guilty to a charge of causing death by dangerous driving, after hitting Paul Hammond, 24, at a layby in Essex. Browning, 36, was driving a goods vehicle at the time. He denies that he was typing a text message just before the accident happened, so a trial will be held to rule on the issue.

This is thought to be the first case where it has been claimed that a fatality occurred because a driver was typing a text message.

Last August an inquest heard that a policeman died in a car crash after reading a text message on his mobile phone. At the time, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents claimed that at least 14 drivers have died because of inappropriate mobile phone use.

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