Tributes have been paid to a 74-year-old woman who was killed after she was hit by a lorry when the driver skipped a red light.
Patricia Grace was struck by the vehicle while crossing the road on her way to volunteer at church in Kidlington, Oxfordshire in 2022.
Driver Dariusz Meczynski, 51, was finally jailed for three years and nine months for the killing in December this year after pleading guilty to one count of causing death by dangerous driving.
Following the sentencing, Patricia’s son Oliver Grace paid tribute to his mother and described her death ‘completely avoidable and needless’.
He said: ‘The actions of Dariusz Meczynski on that day, behind the wheel of a heavy goods vehicle led to the completely avoidable and needless death of my beloved mother Patricia Grace.
‘My mother left home on that Thursday morning to go volunteer cleaning at her local catholic church.
‘An act of kindness that she had done every Thursday morning for as long as anyone can remember.
‘As we know she was not to arrive that day due to the criminally dangerous driving of Meczynski.
‘She did not deserve to lose her life that morning, she was simply using a pedestrian crossing that was on green for her.
‘Mum was a very cautious individual, and the green cross code was drummed into us as children, she had every right to use that crossing and should have been safe to do so.
‘We don’t know why Meczynski did not see her but it is clear that he must have been woefully distracted for a prolonged period as he approached the pedestrian crossing that was on red for traffic.
‘In the immediate aftermath of the incident, while my mother lay on the cold road dying, Meczynski did not get out of his cab.
‘He did not try to help or even call for an ambulance. Instead, he phoned his boss. This is a huge aggravating factor for the family and is just the first instance of his deliberate attempts to try and minimize his involvement to avoid justice.
‘When the police arrived later that morning at my father’s house, the family home that he shared with his dearly loved wife of 51 years, they were carrying my mother’s bag, they tried her key in the door and at first he thanked them for their time and thought they were returning lost property.
‘When they explained the reason for the visit, his life devastatingly changed forever.
‘My parents were simple people, enjoying their retirement and never happier than when touring the country and sometimes further afield in their beloved motorhome.
‘It is no small exaggeration to say that mum did everything for dad and they were very devoted to each other, still living in the same house my brother and I grew up in.
‘My father has profound mental health difficulties, and my mum was able to protect him from the outside world and allow him to live the life that they both wanted.
‘Since her death, Dad has had to learn to cook, clean, pay bills and deal with all the household expenditures and everything else.
‘Family of course help where we can but we are no substitute for his loving wife. He is a shadow of the man he used to be before this dreadful incident.
‘As the accident happened so close to home, this is a constant reminder, especially when he has to use the crossing, which he must do regularly, to visit his sister or the local shop.
‘He is now very lonely and struggles to stay in the house as everything is a reminder of mum and what has been taken from him.
‘Of course, many people who knew Mum have been affected by this incident. She had just one sister, my Aunty Jean who misses the telephone calls and regular visits for catch-ups and support.
‘My father’s sister Carol lost her best friend and confident. My mother was well known and loved in the local community for her volunteer work, helping neighbors or simply being remembered as “that nice lady, that worked in the local pharmacy”.
‘When this tragic event occurred I had recently started my degree to become a qualified paramedic.
‘I am still on the course, but my grades have suffered as a direct result of the stress, and sleepless nights this has put upon me.
‘The incident itself is bad enough and has had devastating consequences to us as a family but deep down we as a family understand that this was an accident.
‘We don’t for a second believe that Meczynski woke up that morning with the intention of hurting anyone.
‘However, it is also painfully clear to us as a family that Meczynski has done everything he can to avoid justice, cowardly fleeing the country to avoid facing the consequences of his actions.
‘This has meant that the case has dragged on for nearly two years. Two years of dealing with the police, courts and CPS, furthermore compounding our grief whilst Meczynski has been driving his lorry around Europe living his life whilst ours is in tatters.’
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