Mum's crane equipment death avoidable, court told

The death of a woman who was pushing a pram when she was struck by a crane loaded on a trailer could have been avoided if the equipment was safely secured, a court was told.

Rebecca Ableman, 30, was with her two-year-old daughter beside the B1050 in Willingham, Cambridgeshire, when she was hit in September 2022.

Kevin Miller, 70, of King's Lynn in Norfolk, denies causing death by dangerous driving.

In a document prepared for the ongoing trial, industry expert Keith Silvester said that had Mr Miller "secured the log grapple in a central position using a ratchet strap... the incident would not have occurred".

Peterborough Crown Court has heard how Mr Miller was on his way back to King's Lynn docks after transporting scrap metal to Network Rail depots on 22 September.

The jury heard how the crane boom and grab had shifted to the left of the trailer and was hanging over the side when Miss Ableman was hit in Willingham.

She had left a farm shop in Station Road with her daughter Autumn when she was struck by the moving lorry just before 11:15 BST.

Miss Ableman died from head and brain injuries three weeks later.

Mr Silvester, the technical manager of ALLMI, the trade association for the lorry loader industry, said the company's role was "to promote the safe use of lorry loaders" and to "try and raise standards".

He explained that ratchet straps were typically used to secure loads to vehicles, and that "the strap will prevent movement".

Prosecutor William Carter asked Mr Silvester: "If the boom and grapple had been strapped down, none of that would have happened?"

He responded: "Yes."

Jurors were told that Mr Miller claimed he did not know there had been an incident until he was arrested at about 13:45 BST.

The trial continues.

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.