Man cleared of causing death of Hartlepool grandfather following road crash

A man has been cleared of causing the death of a “deeply thoughtful and considerate” grandfather following a three-vehicle collision more than three years ago.
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Raymond Parkinson, 77, from Hartlepool died at the scene of the crash on the A66, close to the Fox Hall Inn, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, on Sunday, November 26, 2017.

Catalin Aurel Nicolae, of Westwood Crescent, Hamilton, in Scotland, who was said to be driving a Renault Premium HGV truck at the time, was arrested in connection with Mr Parkinson’s death and released under investigation while lengthy inquiries continued.

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He was eventually charged with causing death by careless driving in 2019 with a trial initially due to take place at York Crown Court in 2020.

The fatal collision took place on the A66, near the Fox Hall Inn, outside Richmond, North Yorkshire, in 2017.The fatal collision took place on the A66, near the Fox Hall Inn, outside Richmond, North Yorkshire, in 2017.
The fatal collision took place on the A66, near the Fox Hall Inn, outside Richmond, North Yorkshire, in 2017.

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic, however, meant that the case was delayed until earlier this year.

Nicolae, who is 36, was eventually cleared by a jury.

The fatal collision took place at 3.26pm and involved the white HGV truck, a silver Seat Ibiza and a black Nissan Qashqai.

The A66 was closed in both directions for more than 90 minutes as emergency services dealt with its aftermath.

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An obituary in the Hartlepool Mail shortly afterwards described Mr Parkinson, who was driving the Qashqai at the time of the crash, as “a deeply thoughtful and considerate man who touched so many people's lives in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough”.

It said he was the “beloved and adored husband of Elizabeth”, “a loving dad to Anthea and Andrew” and “granda to Alex and Theo”.

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