Truck driver cleared over death of Bethany Jones in M62 horror crash

Kevin Ollerhead, 45, was found not guilty of causing Bethany Jones’s death by dangerous driving on the M62 at Pontefract in April 2013.

Mr Ollerhead was also cleared of causing the 18-year-old’s death by careless driving.

Miss Jones, of Bradley Carr Terrace, South Elmsall, was one of 20 women travelling to Liverpool for a hen do.

But the minibus they were on developed a mechanical fault.

Leeds Crown Court heard how it got slower and slower as it went along the M62 near junction 32 at Pontefract.

The court heard how Mr Ollerhead’s truck was in collision with the rear of the minibus, which was shunted off the carriageway and ended up on its side on the slip road.

Miss Jones died and 19 other women were injured.

Mr Ollerhead, of Lincoln Crescent, St Helens, denied any wrong doing. He said he was suddenly confronted by the bus at a close distance and knew he was going to hit it.

A jury at Leeds Crown Court found him not guilty of all charges this afternoon (Friday).

But minibus driver James Johnson, 64, will be sentenced on November 14 for his part in the crash.

At an earlier hearing Johnson, of Whytecote End, Wyke, Bradford, admitted causing Miss Jones’s death by dangerous driving.