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Lorry Driver Jailed for Fatal Loader-Crane Strike on Mother Pushing Pram

The case underscores how a simple strap to secure a loader crane can prevent a fatal swing over a pavement.

Overview

  • Kevin Miller, 71, was jailed for 13 months at Peterborough Crown Court on Tuesday, with a two-year driving ban extended by six and a half months.
  • The loader crane’s boom swung out on September 22, 2022, in Willingham and struck 30-year-old Rebecca Ableman from behind as she pushed her toddler, and she died on October 16, 2022.
  • Prosecutors said Miller failed to strap the crane boom to the trailer, which let it slew over the nearside and into the pavement space.
  • Miller drove on unaware, later moved the crane back to the center using its controls, and learned of the collision only when police met him at his King’s Lynn yard.
  • Family statements said Ableman pushed the pram to safety and “died a hero,” and police and industry guidance point to routine strapping of loader cranes as a basic step that prevents such deaths.