Footage released by Avon and Somerset Police shows Fiona Hodge’s first account of events which led to a collision with Donna Crossman, who was walking towards Ashton Gate in Bristol
Video captures a careless driver’s first words after a crash which killed a pedestrian heading to a Take That concert.
Fiona Hodge, 69, told officers she had been involved in “a very nasty accident” but “did not know why she lost her concentration”. Hodge hit Donna Crossman, 53, knocking the concert-goer off a bridge on the A370 Brunel Way in Bristol.
Ms Crossman was walking with friends to a Take That concert at Ashton Gate, a multi-use stadium in the city, when Hodge mounted the pavement in her red Citroen. She died of her injuries in hospital the following day.
Hodge was on Monday found guilty by a jury of causing death by careless driving. She will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court at a later date.
READ MORE: ‘Beautiful’ boy, six, dead in horror Cheshire crash as ‘drug driver’ arrestedREAD MORE: Speeding driver who killed young woman smirks outside court before sentencing
The court was played footage of officer’s questioning Hodge after the crash on June 9, 2024. Hodge, from St Werburghs, Bristol, tells officers the road “was not busy” and that she was driving “within the speed limit” but then adds she “lost her concentration” and that it was a “very nasty accident”.
The pensioner says: “I was chatting to my friends and I mounted the pavement and hit a person — it was very quick. I didn’t really see the person. She seemed to have gone over the side of bridge on the side of the road. I don’t know why I lost my concentration or mounted the pavement. I can’t account for what happened. It was a very nasty accident.”
Hodge was driving along the A370 with her friends into Bristol as they were returning from a walk in the Mendips, the range of limestone hills south of the city. Ms Crossman, a dedicated netball coach from Bridgend, south Wales, was walking towards the stadium with her friends to attend the gig. The crash happened at around 5.30pm.
A number of witnesses gave evidence during the trial, including friends of the defendant, as well as two independent witnesses who were driving a separate car when they saw a red car ‘swerving between lanes in front of them’.
Designated Investigating Officer Noelie Poupard from Avon and Somerset Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Team, said: “This was an incredibly tragic incident which resulted in the death of a much-loved daughter, wife and friend who was on her way out to enjoy her evening with her friends.
“It was the defence’s case that Hodge had suffered an epileptic seizure at the time of the collision, however it appears the jury rejected this idea and felt her lack of care and attention is what caused Mrs Crossman’s death.
“Mrs Crossman’s family have endured a great deal of pain over the past 18 months and they have shown great strength and dignity throughout the investigation and trial. My hope is that this result give them some closure.”
