A GRIEVING husband has urged tired drivers to take a break after his wife was killed when a driver who fell asleep at the wheel.
Aimi McCaffery, a 46-year-old mother-of two, was out jogging when she was struck in Cropwell Butler, Nottinghamshire on the morning of Sunday, May 15, 2022.
The driver, 48-year-old Glen Widdowson, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed last month for three years and six months.
In the wake of the tragedy, Mrs McCaffery's husband Nicholas urged others to take a break if they ever feel tired at the wheel.
'Widdowson had a choice'
Details released by Nottinghamshire Police today reveal that Mr McCaffery addressed Widdowson directly at last month's trial.
He explained that he and most other people who drive regularly know what it is like to experience tiredness at the wheel.
However, he added: "When that happens, we have a choice — pull over, take a break, set a timer on your phone and get a bit of rest, or keep going.
"Mr Widdowson had a choice… so I can only assume his decision was to carry on when faced with the choice of pulling over and resting and carrying on."
Mrs McCaffery was a mother of two (Image: Nottinghamshire Police)Moments before the collision, Widdowson — who was returning from a shift as a night manager at a hotel — was caught on CCTV veering towards the wrong side of the carriageway.
He then failed to negotiate a slight left-hand bend in the road, mounted a kerb with two wheels and struck her at a speed of around 50mph.
Sadly, Mrs McCaffery died at the scene.
Although he said he couldn't be sure what happened, Widdowson later pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving on the basis that he fell asleep at the wheel.
'Human kindness shines through'
Mr McCaffery, also paid tribute to the people who tried so hard to save his wife, who was 'the kind of person who, once met, was never forgotten'.
"Aimi has gone, she has been cruelly taken from us," he said.
"It is a loss that myself and my children, as well as Aimi's family and friends, will never get over.
"We miss her so much. But as is the case with the darkest of times, some genuine human kindness shines through.
"I want to thank the paramedics and those who attended the scene and tried so desperately to save my wife.
"Like Aimi herself, you’re the best of us and we thank you."
