A WOMAN accused of causing a man's death by careless driving has been found not guilty.

Diane Rachel Jones, of Church Terrace in Marchwiel, appeared at Mold Crown Court this week for trial.

The 51-year-old had denied causing death by careless driving of David Michael Davies, the collision having occurred in July 2019 on the A525 at Horsemans Green.

On Monday and Tuesday the court heard evidence from members of the public who were at the scene, police and collision investigators, as well as Ms Jones herself.

Members of the Jury retired to deliberate on Wednesday morning.

They were unable to reach a unanimous decision, but took just over two hours and 20 minutes to reach a majority verdict of not guilty.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said the case had been a very difficult and sensitive one, adding: "Our hearts go out to the family of the deceased."

The incident took place as Ms Jones was driving along the A525 in the direction of Wrexham and Mr Davies was driving in the opposite lane towards Whitchurch, where he lived.

At a bend in the road Ms Jones' Citroen swung out, leaving it at an angle, and collided side-on with Mr Davies' vehicle in a "T-bone" position.

Her car rolled over and came to rest on its side.

It had been raining on the day. The road was wet, and the surface and markings on the relevant section of the A525 were found to be "extensively worn."

Ms Jones explained she had been travelling at around 40 miles per hour and when she came to the bend where the collision occurred she applied "steady braking."

She said the back end of the car came round and she "fought" to regain control, to no avail.

The court heard she saw oncoming traffic cars and thought "this is going to hurt," before later regaining consciousness after her car came to rest on its side.

In his summary of the defence case, Duncan Bould said: "Throughout her life, she has never been found to be a person who isn't straight forward and honest.

"She said she was driving along the road, she adjusted her driving to take account of the conditions.

"There's no evidence here of any course of driving that suggests there's anything wrong with the approach Ms Jones has taken."

Mr Bould also said due to the nature and condition of the road surface, it may have been the case that the tyres on her vehicle were on materials offering varying levels of grip, which can cause "destabilisation" of the vehicle.

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