A loving wife has paid tribute to her husband and a 'brilliant' dad who died after a road crash. Steven Fowler, aged 44, died after being run over by a car as he walked across a zebra crossing in Wharf Road, Retford, on February 14, 2022.
The woman driving the car, 74-year-old Margaret Atkinson, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on Monday (20 February 2023). Steven and his wife Amanda had three children, Sam, 20, 15-year-old Lottie and Maisie, 12.
Amanda says her husband, who served in the RAF, 'always put his children first.' “Steven’s death has had a huge impact on the whole family,” she said.
“Even though he was a laid-back and very quiet man, our house feels so quiet and empty without him. He was the best dad and would always put his children first.”
Steven served in the RAF, including spells in Iraq and Afghanistan, before working as a security guard and then becoming a full-time carer for Amanda, who has cerebral palsy, 10 years ago.
Amanda said: “It says a lot about him that he was willing to give up much of his own life and freedom in order to look after me. Now I am reliant on my parents and teenage children for help.”
Amanda and Steven met while at secondary school and were married for 23 years. Steven had a close group of friends who enjoyed cookery challenges and he was a fan of Formula One racing and football, supporting Sheffield United.
“We were chalk and cheese in many ways,” Amanda said. “I even support Sheffield Wednesday and Steven was a United fan. But our marriage worked really well despite our differences.”
Steven, who was walking with his dad and his dog at the time of the incident, at 6.50pm, was taken to hospital in Sheffield but died two days later from his injuries. It was calculated that the vehicle was travelling at around 14mph at the time of the collision.
Atkinson, of Clarborough, near Retford, was fined £734 for causing the death by careless driving and banned from driving for three years after pleaded guilty earlier this month.
Police Constable Andrew Fawcett, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a tragic incident and my heart goes out to Amanda and the rest of Steven’s family and friends. They have behaved with dignity throughout the past year and I hope the finalisation of this case offers some closure for them.
“Steven’s family have been through an extremely upsetting ordeal and have requested that their privacy be respected.”
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