Ex-ambulance crash driver charged with dangerous driving

The driver of the decommissioned ambulance is due to appear in court on 17 August

The driver of a decommissioned ambulance which crashed into a level crossing during a police chase has been charged with dangerous driving.

The vehicle hit a barrier near Kildwick, North Yorkshire, after being pursued from the scene of a fatal collision on the A65 near Clapham.

It was not involved in the first crash but was thought to have been travelling in convoy with a vehicle that was.

Joseph Keane, 28, from Billinge, near Wigan, died in the crash on the A65.

More stories from across Yorkshire

The driver of the ex-ambulance, a 41-year-old man from Halifax, has also been charged with driving while disqualified, failing to stop for the police, failing to provide a specimen for analysis, obstructing a railway and driving without insurance, following the incident on 13 July.

He is due to appear before Skipton Magistrates' Court on 17 August.

North Yorkshire Police said Mr Keane was a passenger in a Peugeot car which collided with a flatbed truck that had been converted into a campervan.

The Peugeot driver, a 21-year-old woman, was taken to hospital but later discharged. The driver of the campervan conversion has been released under investigation.

Joseph Keane was the passenger in a car which collided with a truck that had been converted in to a campervan

Mr Keane's family said it was "not possible to describe how much Joe was loved".

In a statement, they said: "He was such a kind, considerate loving person and we have been privileged to have had him in our lives for 28 years.

"He was such a special, beautiful person, we have been enriched by his presence and the pain of his loss means our lives will never be the same again."