The grieving relatives of a grandmother killed by a 94-year-old driver have said they will never get over her death. Linda Wareham, 77, was knocked down as she was crossing the entrance of a petrol station with her dog on Hagley Road in Oldswinford on April 17 last year.
Joan Barwick, who was 94 at the time, had not been looking where she was going as she turned on to the forecourt. Mrs Wareham suffered catastrophic head injuries, and her life support was turned off at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham the next day.
Court hearing
On April 24, Barwick was given a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after earlier pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Wolverhampton Crown Court. The court heard from Mrs Wareham's devastated relatives, who shared how their lives had been changed forever by the tragedy.
In a victim impact statement, her husband Peter told how he had been with Linda for more than 60 years after meeting when they were just 15. He has now been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
He said: “She was caring and selfless… She was good fun and independent. She enjoyed a life of good health. All that ended on the 18th of April when my wife was cruelly taken.”
Daughter's grief
Mrs Wareham’s daughter Joanne Willetts also shared her intense grief. She said: “I cannot accept she isn’t coming back. I carry a quiet sadness that will be with me the rest of my life. To lose my mum so tragically is heartbreaking for me and my children.”
The court heard that Barwick, of Walker Avenue in Wollescote, Dudley, was driving her car looking for a disabled parking space at a Tesco Express when she ran over and killed Mrs Wareham. The crash occurred at just 10mph, but the impact proved fatal.
Barwick, now 95, was sentenced on April 24. The family continues to struggle with the loss, describing it as a tragedy that has left a permanent void in their lives.
