text: A mum's 'momentary mistake' caused a fatal crash with a motorcyclist near Birmingham Airport. Liane-Jade Russell drove her Tesla into Mark Kenny's bike on Bickenhill Lane in Marston Green, Solihull in December 2022, causing the 50-year-old to hit a road sign and suffer fatal injuries.
  She had indicated but 'almost immediately' moved from the right to the inside lane which did not give Mr Kenny enough time to react. But while Russell had been travelling under the 40mph speed the victim had been doing up to 59mph and was undertaking her at the time.
  The status of the inside lane was also described as 'ambiguous' due to the fact drivers still used it as a bus lane which it had ceased to be two years earlier, while a sign indicating so was not illuminated. Russell, aged 41 of Letitia Avenue, Meriden wept in the dock as she heard emotional impact statements from Mr Kenny's devastated family.
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  Her barrister also expressed her profound apologies to them on her behalf. But she was spared jail at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, August 2 as she was sentenced to five months suspended for 18 months, having pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving. The prosecution had initially charged Russell with causing death by dangerous driving but ultimately offered no evidence on the offence.
  The collision took place shortly after 5pm on December 15, 2022 when it was dark. Mr Kenny was riding his Yamaha motorbike having stayed late at work to help someone, while Russell had been taking her son to see a football match with his friends. She pulled across into the inside lane intending to turn left towards Birmingham International Station.
  Prosecutor Tim Harrington said: "The lane was a bus lane and it's described by experts as ambiguous to say the least. Most people using that road still considered that lane to be a bus lane and were acting as if it was.
  "Mr Kenny was in the process of undertaking the defendant in the near side lane when Ms Russell suddenly turned her car across that lane causing the collision with the two vehicles. Sadly, Mr Kenny was struck by the car, hit a road sign and received fatal injuries."
  He added: "The sign indicating the inside lane was no longer a bus lane was not illuminated at the time."
  Russell had been travelling between 31 to 34mph while Mr Kenny had been doing up to 59mph only to brake to 53mph at the point of impact. The victim's mother Diane Kenny stated her 'whole world fell apart' the day her 'lovely' son died.
  She said he had been riding his bike 'as long as I can remember' and added 'the fact that a mistake cost my son's life haunts me every day'. Mr Kenny's sister Sarah Carter said: "We as a family are absolutely devastated by the loss of my brother in circumstances that could and should have been avoided. A split second decision has left a void in our lives that will never be filled."
  Ian Bridge, defending Russell, said: "The first thing I need to say on her behalf is that she's horrified by the misery she has caused you and wishes me to say how sorry she is."
  He stated Russell, who had never previously committed a crime, lost her father at the age of 18 and 'knows the pain of losing somebody very close'. The barrister added his client had made an 'error' but said the person in the dock 'could have been anybody else who uses the road'.
  He also told the court Russell had decided not to drive again regardless of the outcome of the case. She must complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 20 days of rehabilitation activity as part of her sentence, which also included an 18-month driving ban.
  Judge Andrew Smith KC said: "I have considered the expert opinions in preparation for this hearing. The experts have concluded that it may well not have been apparent to you from what must have been, at most, a relatively swift check to the rear that Mr Kenny’s motorbike would overtake your car on the inside.
  "Your indicating and turning very shortly thereafter is contrary to the relevant provisions of the Highway Code. The experts have reached the agreed conclusion that your careless driving amounts to 'a momentary mistake' involving your changing lanes without warning."
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