Pensioner killed on daily walk to buy newspaper
The scene of Thursday's fatal accident in Ahoghill.
A PENSIONER who was killed on his way to buy a News Letter had been walking the same route every morning “for years”.
Hugh Aitcheson died on December 3, 2009, at a Maxol garage on the Galgorm Road in Ahoghill as he tried to cross the road.
The 70-year-old father-of-one had walked his usual quarter-of-a-mile route from his Gloonan Hill home when he was knocked down by a van on the final few metres of his journey.
The accident happened around 7.30am.
At an inquest in Ballymena courthouse yesterday, Coroner Suzanne Anderson found that Mr Aitcheson died of “multiple injuries sustained in the collision”.
A PSNI sergeant, based in Ballymena, told the inquest that when he arrived at the scene an ambulance was already there.
He said an elderly male was lying on the ground, and a blue Peugeot van which had been involved in the collision had extensive damage to its windscreen.
The officer said the “accident happened when it was still dark” and Mr Aitcheson had been wearing dark clothes.
The victim’s son-in-law, Derrick Dempsey, who came to the inquest on behalf of his mother-in-law Annie May Aitcheson, said he was asked to identify Mr Aitcheson at the scene where he died.
Mr Dempsey said the driver of the van attended Mr Aitcheson’s funeral.
“I spoke to him and said the family were happy with him being there,” he said.
The officer said the driver of the van, Declan Fyfe from Martinstown, said “he saw a guy running across the road – and that’s when he hit him”.
Mr Fyfe was driving towards Ahoghill to his work.
The officer said: “He told me the pedestrian was in the middle of the road when he first saw him. He said when he first saw him he was five or 10 metres in front of his bonnet. He said he immediately hit his brakes, went into a skid, hit the pedestrian, skidded more and stopped. He said he believed the pedestrian was running towards the pavement on the garage side.”
The officer added that the PPS made a decision not to prosecute.
In a statement read to the court, Annie May Aitcheson, 61, said her husband had a “normal routine” of wakening at 6.30am, getting dressed and walking a quarter-of-a-mile from their home to the shop to buy a newspaper.
“He made that walk every day,” she said. “Then, after that, we went for a 30-minute walk. I wore a reflective vest but Hugh didn’t wear one.”
She said on the morning her husband died she was “expecting Hugh to appear at any time with the News Letter paper”.
Scientific officer George Johnston said the van involved in the collision had “no defects”.
Mr Johnston said that, given the length of time it took the van to skid to a halt, Mr Fyfe was driving at 40-41 mph.
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
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