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Stephen Brown: Hit and run death anger
A Calverley businessman killed by a speeding hit-and run driver in Spain has been blamed by police for the accident – for not wearing a reflective jacket while crossing the road.
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Stephen Brown, 29, and Hayli Jackson, 21, were hit by Mame Mory Gueye who didn't have a valid driving licence. Gueye – a Senegalese national living in Spain – escaped uninjured and has never been caught.
But Spanish police reports state that Stephen and Hayli were the "principle cause of the accident" after failing to wear "luminous or reflective clothing between sunset and sunrise while on a road or pavement".
They were also blamed for crossing the road outside a zebra crossing without checking if it was clear.
Sister Natalie Brown, 32, of Calverley, said: "They have put the blame on Stephen and Hayli but there is no zebra crossing on that road. Meanwhile the driver has killed two people and disappeared.
"So in Spain you should always wear reflective clothing from dawn till dusk if crossing a road – it doesn't matter that the driver had no insurance, no valid licence to drive in Spain nor that he was speeding at the time of the accident."
Natalie had to fight for answers as the family only received one phonecall from friends on the holiday, delivering the heartbreaking news.
"All we knew was that there had been a road accident and my brother was dead. We had to wait for confirmation from the Home Office, no one had been able to identify the bodies, we just had no idea how this happened.
"When you die abroad, you get nothing. The funeral director out there was the only contact we had. It took over a week for Stephen's body to be flown back. We decided to employ a solicitor in Spain. It was all extremely slow and it was months before we found out what happened to him."
The family are now fighting for compensation from the driver's insurers. They are awaiting a court date when a judge will assess damages.
"It's not that we want compensation, it's that we need to know as much as we can about what happened and at this time this is our only re-dress on the driver.
She added: "I am glad that the number of deaths occurring each year on Spanish roads is being addressed. Knowing that they have now built a bridge over the A7 road (where Stephen died), at least means no more families will have to go through what we've been through. If only it had been there a year ago.
"When Stephen died a part of all of us died with him and life without him will never be the same."
He leaves mum Susan, 58, dad Peter, 60, sisters Natalie and Katie, 21.
Stephen set up his own telecommunications business at the age of 19 before buying a series of properties.
He had gone to Marbella with three friends where they met a group of girls including Hayli Jackson, 21.
Hayli and Stephen had a left a club to buy some food before they were both mown down and killed by the car while crossing a road at about 6am on August 17, 2007.
Gueye was doing between 92 and 118 kilometres an hour (57 to 73 mph) on the road which has a legal limit of 60kph, or 37mph.
He did not have a licence to drive in his adopted country and although his car insurance ran out a week earlier, there was a 30 day renewal period which made it valid.
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Saturday 19 May 2012
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