Jury out on teenage fatal crash case

The jury has been sent out to consider its verdict in the case of a 19-year-old accused of causing the death of his girlfriend by dangerous driving.

Logan Addison, of Hazels Road in Shawbury, Shropshire, denies the charge and told Shrewsbury Crown Court he lost control when another car pulled out of a junction.

The court heard Lily-May Vaughan, 17, died on 4 February 2023 at Shawbury Heath near the A53 in Shropshire when his VW Golf Estate left the road and hit an electricity pole before it overturned.

Prosecutor Peter McCartney told the court he had been "thrashing the VW down that lane", but Mr Addison said he had been driving within the speed limit.

The trial heard evidence from a police collision investigator who said based on tyre markings, it was likely Mr Addison had been driving over the 60mph speed limit, but it was not possible to say for certain.

Mr Addison, who was taken to hospital with back and neck fractures after the crash, told the court he had been driving at a speed of between 50 and 55mph.

He told the court he had seen an Audi pull out from a junction and lost control on a loose road surface near the entrance to an industrial estate.

He said his decision to swerve had been a "human reaction".

But the prosecution said he had not been driving to the road conditions, and a witness who lived nearby, Gwen Evans, told the court she had seen his car pass in a "flash of a blur".

The driver of the Audi, who denied he had pulled out too far into the road, also said Mr Addison had been driving at speed.

The trial continues.

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