Coroner’s warning over older drivers self-certifying after baby was killed when car driven by pensioner, 74, with undiagnosed Alzheimer’s veered into path of van which ploughed into pram

• Baby Louis Thorold was in a pram when Shelagh Robertson ploughed into him 
• Coroner Simon Milburn will write to the Department for Transport with concerns

A coroner has warned of older drivers self-certifying after a baby was killed when a car driven by a 74-year-old pensioner with undiagnosed Alzheimer’s veered into the path of a van that ploughed into a pram.  

Louis Thorold, five months, was being pushed along by his mother when Shelagh Robertson, then 73, got in the van’s way, forcing it on to the pavement where it hit them.

Mazda driver Ms Robertson was on her way home from a shopping trip to Tesco when she caused the crash on the A10 at Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire on January 22, 2021.

The van driver, who was driving within the 50mph limit, had no time to react, an inquest in Huntingdon was told. 

Ms Robertson was prosecuted for causing death by careless driving but found not guilty by reason of insanity after a trial at Cambridge Crown Court last year.

Now Coroner Simon Milburn said he will write to the Department for Transport with his concerns following the tragedy. 

Shelagh Robertson, 73 at the time, (pictured) was on her way home from a shopping trip to Tesco when she caused a crash that killed baby Louis Thorold on the A10 at Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire on January 22, 2021

Louis Thorold, five months, (pictured) was in a pram being pushed by his mother Rachael Thorold (right) when pensioner Ms Robertson turned into the path of a van, forcing it on to the pavement where it hit them

Jurors were told the pensioner was suffering from dementia, which was undiagnosed at the time.

Motorists aged 70 or over are required by law to renew their driving licence every three years, with Robertson renewing hers in May 2017 as she approached her 70th birthday, an inquest was told on Wednesday.

This was done by an online application in which she said she was medically fit to drive.

READ MORE: Five-month-old baby died from ‘catastrophic brain injury’ when car driven by 74-year-old woman with undiagnosed Alzheimer’s veered into path of van which ploughed into pram on the pavement

Because of the Covid pandemic, Robertson’s three-year licence was extended by a year, giving it an expiration date of June 2021 – after the crash.

Mr Milburn, Cambridgeshire area coroner, said: ‘The obvious way around that is for someone to design a process where there’s a formal examination at an appointed time.’

Mr Dollard said the current system requires drivers to answer 21 medical questions, with yes or no answers, to renew their licence at age 70.

He said if Ms Robertson had been ‘checked by a doctor and the doctor had identified there was the onset of dementia, then (she) may well have not had (her) licence renewed and we wouldn’t have had an incident like we had in 2021.’ 

Mr Milburn added: ‘How practical and whether there are resources to put such a system in place is not for me.’ 

Sergeant Mark Dollard, of Cambridgeshire Police, told the inquest: ‘The process for renewing your licence is entirely reliant on honesty and awareness.

‘If you don’t have either of them, there’s a flaw that can be exploited.’

Louis’s father Chris Thorold said there is a ‘gaping hole in the system – that you can self-certify’.

Baby Louis was born through IVF after his mother Rachael had struggled to get pregnant for five years

Louis’s parents Chris and Rachael Thorold pictured outside court in 2022  

‘Quite a lot of European countries have these rules in place that require medical examinations,’ he said.

In a statement read to the inquest, Rachael Thorold, Louis’s mother, said: ‘Our cognitive health and reaction time changes with time and this needs to be objectively checked.

‘Mrs Robertson hadn’t picked up her significant cognitive decline.’

Baby Louis was born through IVF after his mother Rachael struggled to get pregnant for five years 

Mr Milburn concluded Louis died as the result of a road traffic collision, having sustained multiple traumatic injuries.

He said he will also write to Cambridgeshire County Council to ask if the speed limit at the crash site, which has already been lowered from 50mph to 40mph, could be further lowered to 30mph and if safety barriers can be installed.

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