Driver who killed bombing 'hero' while overtaking avoids jail

A 'hero' of the Manchester Arena bombing was killed in a tragic road accident caused by a car driver's fatal impatience, a court heard today.

Darron Coster, 54, was test driving the 'dream' motorbike he was considering buying when he was hit and fatally injured by a car travelling on the wrong side of the road on a country lane.

Motorist Jacqueline Higson, 65, should have 'exercised patience' behind a cyclist but instead carried out an overtaking manoeuvre before the brow of a hill when she couldn't see traffic coming in the opposite direction, Bradford Crown Court was told.

Mr Coster was driving safely and sensibly but had 'no time to react or see' the Vauxhall Corsa before the collision.

Judge Jonathan Rose said Higson was solely to blame for the 'terrible incident' but allowed the motorist to walk free from court because of her 'exemplary character' and her role as a carer for her mother and brother.

Higson pleaded guilty to an offence of causing death by careless driving. She was given a 12 month jail sentence suspended for two years, along with 180 hours of unpaid work, 20 rehabilitation activity days and a two year driving ban.

The judge told Higson the damage she has done is 'irreparable' as the victim's family has 'suffered enormously.'

He said: 'The responsibility for his loss is yours and yours alone.'

Mr Coster, a married father-of-one, was an HGV driver who had spent years in motorcycle display teams during an earlier career in the Royal Military Police.

He was hailed as a 'hero' by the inquiry into the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing for his actions on the night.

Mr Coster was waiting to collect his son from the Ariana Grande concert and used his military first aid training to treat injured casualties and closed the doors to protect onlookers from trauma.

Sir John Saunders, chair of the inquiry, said at the time of Mr Coster's death: 'I described him at the conclusion of his evidence as a hero for what he did on the night of May 22, 2017, and I don't think anyone could or would disagree with that description.'

The court heard Higson was driving two family members to lunch when the accident happened near the village of Wigglesworth, North Yorkshire, in July 2021.

Mr Coster had picked up the Ducati motorbike for a test ride and had asked the owner to 'dial it down' so it couldn't go in 'fast mode.'

The judge said he was 'averse to risk' and there was no evidence he was 'in any way responsible' for the accident that cost him his life.

Harry Crowson, prosecuting, said Higson overtook one cyclist and was driving behind a second on the 'undulating' country road when she attempted to overtake again before the 'crest' in the road.

Until that point she had been driving sensibly and was not speeding or under the influence of alcohol, he said.

'Miss Higson was on the wrong side of the road. She pulled out at a time when she couldn't see what was coming in the opposite direction.'

The victim's wife Alison Coster said her life and that of her son Charlie, who was 24 at the time, had been devastated by his tragic loss.

She said in a statement: 'I have been at a total loss without my husband and have been for the last three years.'

'Losing Darren was and still is the hardest and most profound life-altering event that has happened in my life.'

Adding: 'He was my soulmate, my forever. I will never be the same again.'

John Dye, for Higson, said she had an unblemished driving record and had never been in trouble with the police before.

He said she was 'extremely remorseful' and the accident was 'on her conscience on a daily basis.'

'She is absolutely devastated,' he said.

Mr Dye said Higson made a 'momentary misjudgement' and shouldn't have overtaken when she did.

The judge suspended her jail sentence after hearing how Higson worked as a carer in a hospital for 37 years and was now the sole carer for her 91-year-old mother and her brother with learning difficulties.

Outside court Mr Cotter's sister Debra Coulson said the sentence was what the family expected.

Wearing a T-shirt with the words 'dangerous driving kills', she said the family wanted to spread the message to motorists to 'think twice.'

'Be more cautious, give yourself that extra ten minutes or so for your journey.'