The driver who killed Bryony Hollands shouldn’t have been driving
He was supposed to have his license revoked
The latest inquest into the music fresher’s death revealed that her killer, Thomas Burney, 26, should have had his driving license revoked months before the devastating incident last August.
Following a seizure in March, Burney was prescribed medication for epileptic fits and advised not to drive for a year.
Bryony Hollands, 19, was killed in August last year as Burney veered off the road and collided into her and her boyfriend at 70mph. Her boyfriend, Ben Evans, was left badly injured. The driver was three times over the legal drinking limit and was also high on cocaine. He is now serving an eight year sentence in jail.
Burney had contacted the DVLA about his seizures and a medical inquiry was launched, but due to a backlog of work, they did not respond to him within the 21 day response time. Representatives for the DVLA admitted that at the time it was taking “seven to eight weeks” to turn around paperwork it now completes within seven days.
His license was not revoked until medical evidence was provided five months later, six weeks after the fatal crash.
A year previously, Burney had been given six points on his license and fined £571 for doing 52mph in a 30mph zone. So it is shocking that previous penalties and his medical issues were not linked, and no action was taken to remove him from the roads.
Furthermore, his GP, Dr Umas Ahmad, was aware that Burney was still driving, but failed to remind him to stop, or inform the DVLA of this.
Due to this discovery, the DVLA have improved response times, but Bryony’s family released a statement saying this is “little consolation” for the devastation they have faced. Through this statement they have called for tougher sentences for drink drivers.
Mrs Didcock, assistant coroner of the inquest, added she would also be submitting a report to the DVLA, Burney’s GP surgery and Nottinghamshire Police regarding communication between the parties about drivers with drug and alcohol problems.