A doctor panicked by a spider as she was driving her car caused an accident that led to the death of an elderly motorist, a court heard.
Dr Amy Elizabeth Walpole, 38, was at the wheel of her red Mazda MX5 when the spider fell from the sun visor, sending her into a “blind panic”. The GP was seen waving her arms frantically before smashing into the oncoming car of 87-year-old John Evans, Llanelli magistrates court was told.
Vaughan Pritchard-Jones, prosecuting, said: “Walpole gave an explanation that a spider had dropped from the sun-visor landing in her lap. She has a fear of spiders and tried to throw it out of the window. As a result of the situation with a loss of concentration, she drifted across the road causing the collision.”
John Allchurch, in mitigation, said Walpole was arachnophobic. “It was a large spider which she was terrified of and tried to flick out of the window,” he said.
The court heard that Evans suffered fractures and damage to his heart in the collision. He was able to walk from his car to an ambulance but died the next day.
Walpole, of Penymynydd, near Llanelli, south Wales, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving. The judge, David Powells, banned her from driving for 12 months and ordered her to carry out 80 hours of community service.
He said: “What we are dealing with a tragic accident. The witness account of seeing arms waving around was consistent with what you had said and your arachnophobia.”
Powells said there were no aggravating circumstances. Evans’s family had asked for Walpole to be dealt with leniently as they were aware of her good reputation as a GP. “This is not a case for prison, it is a case for a community order,” the judge said.
