Driver ‘did not look’ before turning into road and fatally colliding with 86-year-old, trial hears

A driver ‘did not look’ before turning and fatally colliding with an 86-year-old man who was crossing the road, prosecutors allege. Mustafa Sayed, 53, was travelling down School Lane in Didsbury in his Toyota Aygo when he approached the junction with Parrs Wood Road on November 14 2022.

As the lights changed to green, he turned right onto Parrs Wood Road and struck Sadrudin Noormaohamed Adatia who was walking across the road whilst using a walking aid, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Mr AdatIa was rushed to hospital but sadly died as a result of his injuries, jurors were told.

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Prosecutors allege that Mr Sayed ‘did not look into the road he was turning into’ before the collision and ‘briefly touched’ the brakes moments before.

Mr Sayed, of Withington, denies an offence of causing death by driving without due care and attention and is on trial at Manchester Crown Court.

Prosecuting, Stephen Littlewood said that both roads are governed by a 30mph limit and the junction is controlled by traffic lights. Mr Sayed was driving along School Lane when the lights at the junction with Parrs Wood turned from red to green, jurors heard.

“Mr Adatia was 86-years-old and walked with an assistant mobility walker. He began to cross the road, slowly, as the defendant was approaching the junction,” Mr Littlewood said.

“When he began to cross the road the light was red telling pedestrians not to cross, though he was in the middle of the road when the defendant went to turn right.”

My Sayed was said to ‘briefly’ touch the brakes but did not appreciably slow his car down and collided directly with Mr Adatia, the court heard. It caused the 86-year-old to be flung across the windscreen and into the road, it was said.

Prosecutors said that Mr Sayed only braked afterwards. The collision was captured on CCTV and played to jurors during the opening of the case.

After the incident, Mr Sayed remained at the scene and other members of the public attended before paramedics took Mr Adatia to hospital. He sadly died from his injuries in the early hours of the following morning.

Mr Sayed was arrested and interviewed and chose not to answer questions from officers, jurors were told.

Mr Littlewood said that drivers ‘must drive with due care and attention for other road users’.

“They must be alive to hazards on the road. The Highway Code establishes that cars must give way to pedestrians that are crossing the road and that once a pedestrian is on the road, they are priority,” he said.

“You might think it is simple common sense that when driving a car you must be aware of what is ahead of you. In this case, the defendant had numerous opportunities to check the road he was turning into before initiating the turn.

“If at any point he would have looked into the road ahead of him, he would have seen.”

Prosecutors allege that Mr Sayed did not look into the road he was turning into, and that a conclusion could be made that his driving fell far below the standard of a careful and competent driver.

In a short opening statement for the defence, Katherine Wright said: “When you have heard from Mr Sayed and all the evidence in the case, the defence say you should find him not guilty because the defence case is that Mr Sayed drove with due care and attention.”

Mr Sayed, of Parsonage Road, denies driving without due care and attention.

The trial continues.