Heartbreaking tributes have been paid to a 74-year-old woman who died after a lorry driver ran a red light and knocked her down.
Dariusz Meczynski, 51, failed to stop and plowed straight into Patricia Grace, who was cleaning a church in Oxfordshire.
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Patricia Grace, 74, is described as a loving mother and devoted church volunteer Credit: SWNS
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She started cleaning the church Credits: SWNS
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Dariusz Meczynski (51) did not stop at the red light and killed Patricia
She was crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing on Oxford Road in Kidlington when she was hit at around 9.30am in October 2022.
Meczynski was jailed for three years and nine months in December after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
Now Patricia’s son, Oliver, has posted a tribute to his mother, describing her death as “completely avoidable and unnecessary”.
He said: “My mother left home that Thursday morning to volunteer to clean her local Catholic church.
“An act of kindness she has done every Thursday morning for as long as anyone can remember.
“As we know, she should not have arrived that day due to Meczynski’s criminally dangerous driving.”
The trainee paramedic continued: “Immediately after the incident, as my mother lay dying on the cold road, Meczynski did not get out of his taxi.
“He didn’t try to help, or even call an ambulance, instead he called his boss.
“This is a huge aggravating factor for the family and is just the first example of his deliberate attempts to try to minimize his involvement in order to avoid justice.”
Devastated Oliver added: “My parents were simple people, they enjoyed their retirement and were never happier than when they were touring the country and sometimes still in their beloved camper van.
“It is no small exaggeration to say that mom did everything for dad and that they were very attached to each other and still live in the same house where my brother and I grew up.”
Oxford Crown Court heard Meczynski failed to stop at a traffic light and hit Ms Grace as she crossed the road.
The 74-year-old suffered fatal injuries and unfortunately died at the scene of the accident.
Meczynski was arrested on October 20 and charged by mail on March 6 of this year.
Lead investigator Richard Thorpe, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Tragically, as a direct result of Meczynski’s driving, he failed to stop at a red light and collided with the victim resulting in her death.
“My thoughts and the thoughts of all of us remain with the family and friends of the victim who showed great dignity and patience while we brought this case to court.
“Meczynski will now have to serve his prison sentence, where I hope he will reflect on this needless and avoidable tragedy.”
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Source: HIS Education