Driver jailed after his crane hit mum pushing pram

Driver jailed after his crane hit mum pushing pram2 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleBrian Farmerat Peterborough Crown CourtFamily handoutRebecca Ableman died three weeks after suffering brain injuriesA lorry driver has been jailed for 13 months after a woman was struck on the head by loose crane equipment while pushing a pram through a village.NHS healthcare assistant Rebecca Ableman, 30, was walking with her two-year-old daughter Autumn on a pavement by the B1050 in Willingham, Cambridgeshire, when she was hit from behind on 22 September 2022.Kevin Miller, 71, of King's Lynn, Norfolk, had admitted causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving.At the sentencing hearing at Peterborough Crown Court, Judge Matthew Lowe said: "Securing the crane unit would have been the work of moments."Family handoutRebecca Ableman was pushing her two-year-old daughter Autumn in a pram when she was hitAbleman, who lived in the village near St Ives, had left a farm shop in Station Road when she was hit at about 11:15 BST, the judge heard.She had "catastrophic" brain injuries and died three weeks later.Miller, of Gayton Road, had gone on trial in April 2025 after denying causing death by dangerous driving, but that trial was halted after lawyers said more time was needed.Miller admitted causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving in February this year - on the day a second trial jury was due to start hearing evidence.Family handoutRebecca's partner Chris Tuczemskyi said the court needed to send a "clear" safety messageAbleman's father, Russell, told the judge, in a statement, that her "final act" had been to push Autumn away.He said his daughter, who worked with patients with mental health problems at Fulbourn Hospital near Cambridge, "died a hero".Her mother, Susann, said: "I will be eternally grateful that Autumn was unharmed."Ableman's partner and father of Autumn, Chris Tuczemskyi,...