Driver cleared of killing best friend in crash
Matthew Owens
(CNS): Noel Vaughn Douglas (37) was found guilty Thursday of dangerous driving, but acquitted of killing his best friend after a jury took more than four hours to come to a majority verdict in the case where Matthew Owens (31) died. Douglas, who had pleaded not guilty to causing his close friend’s death, gave what was on occasion emotional evidence during the trial when he told the court what happened before the late night fatal smash on the Linford Pierson Highway in December 2015.
Douglas said he and his friend had been out together in George Town and were heading to Owens’ home to play video games. Douglas was driving his BMW, while Owens was on a 1000cc high performance Yamaha motorbike. Douglas, who was driving on the LPH, at a time when it was still just two lanes, said he had moved to overtake a car, but another vehicle was coming in the opposition direction and he had not realised how close it was. In an effort to avoid a collision, Douglas swerved further to his right, but so did the oncoming driver, causing a crash on the opposition shoulder of the road.
Then, as Douglas’ BMW swung across the LPH after hitting the oncoming car, Owens, who had been behind the BMW, and had also opted to overtake, collided with the rear end of that car and was catapulted from his bike. Owens was not wearing a crash helmet and died at the scene.
As he recalled what he could of the crash, Douglas said he got out of his car to check if the driver of the vehicle he had collided with was OK. It was not until a few seconds later that he realised his friend had also crashed and his body was lying on the ground. Douglas told the court that the whole incident was horrible and happened very fast, recalling how he repeatedly called Owens’ name and was frantic about why the ambulance seemed to be taking so long.
He admitted that he was driving over the speed limit but denied racing with Owens. He did, however, tell the police that they two of them were “going at it hard”. It was also confirmed that although Douglas had some alcohol in his system, he was not over the legal limit.
Reconstruction experts differed in their view of the speed of the collisions, but between them concluded that Douglas could have been travelling anywhere between 50mph and more than 70mph at the time of the smash with the oncoming vehicle on the 40mph limit road. Owens was believed to be travelling at a slower speed when he collided with Douglas’ BMW.
Describing how close he and Owens were, Douglas said the crash was the worst time of his life and a “very dark period”. He said Owens was like a brother to him; the two men were not only close but their families were also very close and Owens was godfather to one of Douglas’ children.
During his submissions on behalf of Douglas, defence attorney Nick Dixey argued that Douglas had not caused Owens death as he could not know that the bike rider had also made the same maneuver to overtake, according to the findings of the accident reconstructionists.
The jury was given ‘steps to verdict’ to consider regarding whether or not Douglas was responsible for Owens’ death as a result of dangerous or careless driving or whether he was only guilty of dangerous or careless driving, given his responsibility for the collision with the oncoming car.
The jury found Douglas was not culpable for his friend’s death and found him guilty of just dangerous driving in relation to the original collision.
Following the verdict, Douglas handed over his driver’s licence and was bailed until his sentencing hearing, which has been set for 24 May.
CNS Note: An earlier version of this story was incorrect and had erroneously stated that Douglas was also guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. We would like to apologise for any distress this mistake caused.
Category: Local News
This story is my worst nightmare and it is only by the grace of God that I never hurt/killed someone driving drunk/high when I was younger. I no longer drink/drug as I have a problem with alcohol/drugs.
your friend will forgive you young man , he will be by your side as life moves on , make him proud of you , ive been their , do not turn to drugs and drink , this will never alleviate the pain and only cause more chaos for both your families , go to schools , talk with the young ones , show them your pain , even if you save one kid from making the sad mistake you made , that my friend will help you . Good luck and stay positive . Stay friends with his family .
Thanks for all your kind words. This is Matt’s (step) dad, Andrew.This accident has been a nightmare for both families and we are very glad the trial is now over. Both families were in court all last week in support of Noel, as we are all satisfied this was just a terrible but rather tragic accident, and one that should not have happened. To Matt’s family, Noel was like a brother to Matt (and his two brothers Mark and Chris) and would never do anything to hurt Matt in any way. Noel is still a part of our (Matt’s) family and we always have family gatherings with all the families, both Noel’s and Matt’s.
I personally know that Noel visits Matt’s grave site on a regular basis to ask forgiveness from his best (brother) friend, and I pray that over time, Noel will realize that Matt forgave him long ago.
Speed kills period. When you add alcohol and speed to the equation it becomes a dangerous combination.
A serious lesson to be learnt young drivers!! think of others when ur driving!!
Wait the man is 40+ though
People reading this who drive crazy – this could be you. Don’t drive like a jerk. You could kill your friend, yourself, or some innocent person who has a family that needs them.
What can we do as the people who live and drive on this island to protect ourselves from this? I keep thinking back to that tourist family who were sent home in body bags last year. How can we make sure that doesn’t happen to anyone again?
This is a fair outcome. I know personally how hard Matthew’s death has been on Tommy. Never seen a man break down the way he did at the funeral. Hopefully, all involved can now have some closure and move on. RIP Matt…you are so missed.
Over taking on the LPH was (and is) a problem. Then you throw in bikers who won’t control their speed and always overtake like it’s their job to go faster than a car. Sad for all involved.
I feel so very sorry, Noel, for losing your closest dear friend.
My heart goes out to both men and their families.
50-70 mph by one and no bike crash helmet on the other sounds like a combination of a bit of invincibility and racing. 30+ year old men on their way to play late-night video games also smells like teen spirit as well.
Many of us may be guilty of all of the above at some point in our lives.
Sad losses for families. My sympathies to all concerned.
Bittersweet emotions about this verdict.
Speaking as one who used to indulge in streetracing and tomfoolery – the last thing we would wish for is a participating loved one penalised for our tragic passing.
It is an unspoken but accepted element of the risks involved.
RIP to Mr Owens, he was a gentleman during every interaction.
I also wish peace and healing to his friend Douglas and all involved loved ones.
*Please slow down on these roads guys – it’s only a matter of time regardless of skill level.