When fatigue turns into killer

There cannot be a single driver who, at some time or another, has not got behind the wheel of their car knowing, in their heart of hearts, that they are too tired. But we justify it because the journey has to be made, the work has to be done, we have to get wherever we are going to.

The tragedy for William Elwell, in May this year, was not that Mohammed Ghorghi was a drunk driver, or behind the wheel of a dangerous vehicle. Mr Ghorghi was simply working too hard. He was holding down two jobs and taking Pro-Plus caffeine tablets to keep himself going. But that night he fell asleep at the wheel and his van hit Mr Elwell, leaving the 38-year-old in a permanent vegetative state.

Ghorghi failed to stop, and has been jailed for five months.

Mr Elwell’s family have pronounced themselves happy with the jail term handed down, but make the point that William faces a life sentence of 24-hour care for the rest of his life; unable to feed himself, walk or talk to his family.

If anything is to be taken from this tragedy, it should be the realisation that every day we put ourselves behind the wheel of a tonne and a half of metal that needs only a moment’s loss of concentration to become an unguided missile, capable of destroying a life in the blink of an eye.

We all push ourselves beyond our limits at times, believing we can cope, that it will be all right.

There is something about driving that makes us unwilling to accept our own frailties, and our need to stop, or at least slow down. Too often we get away with it, we get safely to the end of our journey and congratulate ourselves.

William Elwell and his family are victims of the idea that we can get behind the wheel, however tired we feel. It is a mistake, and for too many people the penalty is a ruined life.

A happy ending among the woe

For sale: des res, comes complete with wagging tail.

Getting the carpets and curtains is par for the course when most people buy a house, but Margaret Spittle has gone one better - she’s bought previous owner’s pet dog, Toby, too.

Toby had been destined to end up at a rescue centre because the people selling the Codsall bungalow couldn’t take him to their new home.

But for Mrs Spittle, it was love at first sight.

And it would appear Toby is very happy with the new arrangement as well, according to Mrs Spittle’s daughter Hazel Green: “He’s really helping her to settle into her new home.”

The weather is miserable, everyone is panicking about Christmas and the world, as usual, is full of woe. But in a small corner of Staffordshire, a dog and a grandmother have found a happy ending.

It’s enough to make you believe in Father Christmas.