Driver ‘killed two people while rushing to get to beauty salon’
A Mercedes driver killed two people and left a young boy seriously injured after smashing into their car head-on while ‘in a hurry’ to get to a beauty salon, a court has heard.
Laila Barnard-Wigley, 25, had earlier arranged to meet the owner of a boutique in the seaside town of Bridlington in Yorkshire at 3.30pm on May 7, 2021.
Jurors at Hull Crown Court were told that minutes before the scheduled meeting Barnard-Wigley made ‘five or six’ attempts at overtaking another car on her way there.
She is said to have lost control of the black Benz and veered into oncoming traffic, hitting a red Peugeot driven by Dean Yarrow, 33, who was with girlfriend Faye Wardle, 32, and a child.
Both died at the scene after suffering ‘catastrophic’ injuries, while the boy sitting in the back was seriously hurt, jurors heard.
Barnard-Wigley, of Bridlington, denies causing the deaths of Mr Yarrow and Ms Wardle by dangerous driving.
She also denies alternative charges of causing their deaths by careless or inconsiderate driving, as well as causing serious injury to a young boy by dangerous driving.
Michael Greenhalgh, prosecuting, told the court messages on Barnard-Wigley’s phone showed shee had been messaging one of the salon workers about the sale of beauty products.
‘The defendant told her that she would be in Bridlington by 3.30pm,’ he said. The court heard the fatal crash occurred at 3.28pm.
‘The prosecution say that the defendant was in a hurry to get there.’
He said Barnard-Wigley was seen had tried to overtake one motorist ‘five or six times’ on the journey, weaving in and out of traffic as she did so.
Jurors heard the driver told his passenger that he had better let her pass before commenting on the spray coming from the back of the Mercedes due to the standing water on the road.
Her car was described as swinging violently to the left before veering to the right and hitting the Peugeot.
Mr Greenhalgh said: ‘Essentially, it was her fault that the collision occurred.’
The trial, listed to last for about seven days, continues.
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