GRANDMOTHER Mildred Florence was a lively 78-year-old.
After a lifetime of work, which started at the age of 15 in the Bolton textile mills, she was enjoying her retirement.
The mother-of-two liked nothing more than reading novels and regular trips to the market.
"And she lived for bingo," said son Ian Fields.
But all that changed suddenly on the evening of March 3, 2015.
Mrs Florence was on her way back home from a bingo hall and was crossing Thicketford Road, Tonge Moor, when she was struck by a taxi driven by Tujmal Akram.
Akram was wearing earphones and his passengers told how he had spent several minutes, repeatedly looking at the mobile phone screen on his lap.
He was jailed for two years and banned from holding a driving licence for two and a half years.
But Mrs Florence's sentence was much worse. She had to go and live in a care home, was confined to a wheelchair and, her son believes, developed dementia as a consequence of the accident.
The once lively, active pensioner's personality changed.
"She started to withdraw and not want to engage with others socially," said Mr Fields.
She died on June 18 this year with her death certificate recording that she died from old age and a "cerebral vascular accident".
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel