Coroner calls for action over dementia crash death

Joan Williams had been driving along the A5120 towards Westoning, Bedfordshire when her car was involved in a head on collision with an HGV

A coroner has called on the government to take action after the death of a dementia patient who drove into a heavy goods vehicle.

Joan Williams, 83, had been advised to contact the DVLA following her diagnosis, but had not done so.

Luton and Dunstable coroner, Emma Whitting, wrote to Grant Shapps asking him to examine whether doctors could refer such cases directly to the DVLA.

The Department for Transport said it would "respond in due course".

An inquest in June concluded Mrs Williams died following a road traffic collision.

A prevention of future deaths report, commissioned at the conclusion of the inquest, has now been published.

In it, Mrs Whitting said a roads collision investigator had told the inquest the incident was "most likely to have resulted from driver confusion due to her dementia".

The coroner said the inquest had discussed "legislation to require all such diagnoses to be referred directly to the DLVA".

Mrs Williams died on 19 August 2019 after the Vauxhall Corsa she was driving on the A5120 from Flitwick towards Westoning collided with a heavy goods vehicle.

She was taken to Addenbrookes Hospital, but died on 3 September 2019.

'Appeared confused'

Mrs Williams had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's in April 2018 but, the report said, "had seemed to have trouble accepting this".

It said she had been advised to inform the DVLA, but despite saying she would "had also appeared confused by the process and had continued to deny her diagnosis and, on occasion, to drive".

The report gave transport secretary Mr Shapps until 10 August to reply, but the BBC understands that deadline has been extended.

A spokeswoman said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the Williamses."

She added it is the law drivers must tell the DVLA about medical conditions which might affect their driving.