Taxi Driver Online

Taxi Driver To Face Charges Over Death

12th September 2008

Criminal charges are to be brought following the death of a 17-year-old whose motorbike was in collision with a Hackney cab.

Wirral coroner’s court heard that expectant father Philip Wilson, of Barnard Road, Oxton, was riding down Townfield Lane, Oxton last May on his 125cc Honda MSR and had braked to avoid the taxi, which had started to make a u-turn.

He hit the side of the car and was thrown off and hit a lamppost.

When interviewed, taxi driver Andrew Lang, 28, said he had reset his meter and did a mirror and shoulder check.

He said: “I’m a very observant driver, I always do a shoulder check.’”

Following inquiries by the Crown Prosecution Service, Mr Lang is to appear in court charged with driving without due care and attention.

Accident investigators said the vehicles had been in good working order and that it would have been possible for an observant driver to notice the motorbike coming from behind.

Recording a narrative verdict which stated Mr Wilson died when his motorbike hit a taxi, Wirral Coroner Christopher Johnson said: “There can be in my view no reason why a responsible driver should not have seen him approaching on his bike.

“We all know from the Highway code it is incumbent on every driver making a manoeuvre to make sure it is done in a safe way at a safe time.”

A family statement released after Mr Wilson’s death read: “Phillip was a caring and affectionate young man who always put others before himself.

“As you can imagine our whole world has been devastated.

“He was the baby of our family and was looking forward to becoming a dad himself.”


Source; Liverpool Echo

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This is a sad tale that we shall have to wait and see what happens. Townfield Lane is a bit notorious for speeding and checking over your shoulder isn't always a good way to ascertain whether the coast is clear considering there is a bend at the bottom which you obviously can't see around. Whilst I applaud the ability of the taxis to be able to do a U turn in this road it may have been safer, with hindsight to do a reverse around the many available corners

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www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/ ... -22257705/



There was an incident in the same stretch of road last night when a Taxi was turned on it's side. The details of the cause of the incident are not yet available. When I passed, it appeared that the taxi had hit the central island and had been tipped on it's side by the post that is on the island. To be honest I didn't think it was that easy to tip a taxi on it's side

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Glad you said that Toots, it's sad the lad has been killed, but I've yet to see a 17 year old riding anything on two wheels that hasn't got the throttle wide open most of the time, and if this is the case it would explain why the driver didn't see him, my personal opinion is if it has an engine and it's used on the road you don't ride or drive it until you've passed a test to say that you can control it and understand the road, the real villan here in my eyes is the law for allowing the lad to put himself at risk at all, too young and no experience, and definately too young to die.