A husband accidentally ran over and killed his own wife as they rode their motorbikes through the country. Jim McAloon, 52, hit wife Vanessa, 48, when she was thrown from her motorbike after braking hard to avoid an oncoming car.
A court heard Mr McAloon was ‘unable to do anything except ride over his own wife’ after seeing her lying injured in the road in front. In his total grief since the tragic crash, Mr McAloon’s business went bankrupt and his home was repossessed. Experienced driving instructor Vanessa had just recovered from cancer and the couple decided to go for a ride in the sunshine to celebrate.
They were taking ‘the scenic way home’ when tragedy struck. Mrs McAloon lost control of her motorcycle after an oncoming Vauxhall Corsa tried to overtake a tractor just before a sharp uphill bend.
She braked hard and was thrown onto the countryside road, only for her husband to follow her around the bend seconds later and run her over. Mrs McAloon died from her injuries after the accident along the A4075 at Penny Bridge, Pembroke Dock, Wales. She would have taken her last round of chemotherapy treatment the following day.
Mrs McAloon’s daughter Rebecca Bockhart said her mother’s death had ‘devastated’ their family. She said: ‘Without her we feel empty. I cannot describe the devastation. ‘Jim saw the accident and was himself injured. He lost his wife, his business and his home. His bungalow has been repossessed and his business has gone bankrupt.’
Judge Geraint Walters said he had to ‘live with the horror’ of running over his wife.