| Man who blamed dog for crash handed driving ban Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 21:27, 28th January 2026 |     |
I'm going to post this item here, even though it is both 'the wider picture' and 'railway related' - for which we have other boards on the Coffee Shop forum - but it is, I think, quite funny. I suspect the magistrates did, too, quietly behind the scenes.
From the BBC:
Man who blamed dog for crash handed driving ban
[Image from here is not available to guests]
Jody Lovatt allowed the BBC to photograph his French bulldog, Reggie, shortly after the crash
A van driver who blamed his dog chewing through the handbrake for a crash at a railway station has been handed a six-month driving ban.
Jody Lovatt, 49, caused more than £22,000 of damage after his runaway van careered down a road and smashed through level crossing barriers before striking a building in Knaresborough on 10 July.
Lovatt, who had told a BBC reporter at the scene that his French bulldog, Reggie, had been at fault, pleaded guilty to careless driving and to endangering safety of persons conveyed by the railway earlier this month.
Earlier, he appeared at York Magistrates' Court for sentencing and told the bench: "I wish I'd stayed in bed that day."
Lovatt, of Kirkby Malzeard, was fined £253 and given three points on his licence, which brought his total to 12 and triggered an automatic disqualification.
The hearing was told Lovatt, who ran a business fitting aerials, had been on his way to a job when the accident happened at about 06:40 BST.
He had been in the process of trying to restart his broken-down vehicle but got distracted by his dog after it "did a bit of a runner".
[Image from here is not available to guests]
The van crashed into the level crossing at Knaresborough Station
As Lovatt tried to retrieve his dog, the van rolled down the road and crashed through a gate in the level crossing beside Knaresborough Station, before smashing into a Grade II-listed Victorian signal box which was attached to a terraced house, said prosecutor Kathryn Walters.
The force of the impact caused the gate to fly into the air and land on the tracks. The van suffered major front-end damage, including a smashed bonnet.
When police arrived, Lovatt claimed he had put the handbrake on before getting out of the vehicle. He at first blamed the accident on Reggie chewing through a cable in the handbrake, but later retracted this version of events.
As a result of the accident, Network Rail had to cancel nine services and partially cancel 14 trains between Harrogate and York during early-morning rush hour. A further 11 were delayed, with the overall disruption costing the rail operator £16,147. In addition, £6,313 of damage was caused to the level crossing.
Lovatt represented himself in court and told magistrates: "From my point of view I was trying to do something right, but it's gone wrong, accidentally. If I could have done anything to stop it happening, I would have."
He said he had felt pressured on the morning in question by the "bad" traffic on the day of the Great Yorkshire Show, which delayed him getting to work. He said this was heightened by "the dog trying to jump out of the van" and the fact that he was going through an "awkward divorce" at the time.
He said he had been left with a "big claim on my insurance" and had had to mothball his business. He said he was now reliant on state benefits. He said the incident had caused him great "mental stress" and that he was on a waiting list for mental health treatment.
Lovatt made a bid to keep his driving licence, telling magistrates he had suffered "exceptional hardship" and lived in a small village with poor public transport. He said he was also a carer for a female friend.
Magistrates acknowledged Lovatt was remorseful and that no-one was injured in the accident, but found others would not suffer due to him losing his licence.
[Image from here is not available to guests]
Jody Lovatt allowed the BBC to photograph his French bulldog, Reggie, shortly after the crash
A van driver who blamed his dog chewing through the handbrake for a crash at a railway station has been handed a six-month driving ban.
Jody Lovatt, 49, caused more than £22,000 of damage after his runaway van careered down a road and smashed through level crossing barriers before striking a building in Knaresborough on 10 July.
Lovatt, who had told a BBC reporter at the scene that his French bulldog, Reggie, had been at fault, pleaded guilty to careless driving and to endangering safety of persons conveyed by the railway earlier this month.
Earlier, he appeared at York Magistrates' Court for sentencing and told the bench: "I wish I'd stayed in bed that day."
Lovatt, of Kirkby Malzeard, was fined £253 and given three points on his licence, which brought his total to 12 and triggered an automatic disqualification.
The hearing was told Lovatt, who ran a business fitting aerials, had been on his way to a job when the accident happened at about 06:40 BST.
He had been in the process of trying to restart his broken-down vehicle but got distracted by his dog after it "did a bit of a runner".
[Image from here is not available to guests]
The van crashed into the level crossing at Knaresborough Station
As Lovatt tried to retrieve his dog, the van rolled down the road and crashed through a gate in the level crossing beside Knaresborough Station, before smashing into a Grade II-listed Victorian signal box which was attached to a terraced house, said prosecutor Kathryn Walters.
The force of the impact caused the gate to fly into the air and land on the tracks. The van suffered major front-end damage, including a smashed bonnet.
When police arrived, Lovatt claimed he had put the handbrake on before getting out of the vehicle. He at first blamed the accident on Reggie chewing through a cable in the handbrake, but later retracted this version of events.
As a result of the accident, Network Rail had to cancel nine services and partially cancel 14 trains between Harrogate and York during early-morning rush hour. A further 11 were delayed, with the overall disruption costing the rail operator £16,147. In addition, £6,313 of damage was caused to the level crossing.
Lovatt represented himself in court and told magistrates: "From my point of view I was trying to do something right, but it's gone wrong, accidentally. If I could have done anything to stop it happening, I would have."
He said he had felt pressured on the morning in question by the "bad" traffic on the day of the Great Yorkshire Show, which delayed him getting to work. He said this was heightened by "the dog trying to jump out of the van" and the fact that he was going through an "awkward divorce" at the time.
He said he had been left with a "big claim on my insurance" and had had to mothball his business. He said he was now reliant on state benefits. He said the incident had caused him great "mental stress" and that he was on a waiting list for mental health treatment.
Lovatt made a bid to keep his driving licence, telling magistrates he had suffered "exceptional hardship" and lived in a small village with poor public transport. He said he was also a carer for a female friend.
Magistrates acknowledged Lovatt was remorseful and that no-one was injured in the accident, but found others would not suffer due to him losing his licence.
| Re: Man who blamed dog for crash handed driving ban Posted by TonyN at 22:08, 28th January 2026 | |
I'm going to post this item here, even though it is both 'the wider picture' and 'railway related' - for which we have other boards on the Coffee Shop forum - but it is, I think, quite funny. I suspect the magistrates did, too, quietly behind the scenes.
From the BBC:
From the BBC:
Man who blamed dog for crash handed driving ban
[Image from here is not available to guests]
Jody Lovatt allowed the BBC to photograph his French bulldog, Reggie, shortly after the crash
A van driver who blamed his dog chewing through the handbrake for a crash at a railway station has been handed a six-month driving ban.
Jody Lovatt, 49, caused more than £22,000 of damage after his runaway van careered down a road and smashed through level crossing barriers before striking a building in Knaresborough on 10 July.
Lovatt, who had told a BBC reporter at the scene that his French bulldog, Reggie, had been at fault, pleaded guilty to careless driving and to endangering safety of persons conveyed by the railway earlier this month.
Earlier, he appeared at York Magistrates' Court for sentencing and told the bench: "I wish I'd stayed in bed that day."
Lovatt, of Kirkby Malzeard, was fined £253 and given three points on his licence, which brought his total to 12 and triggered an automatic disqualification.
The hearing was told Lovatt, who ran a business fitting aerials, had been on his way to a job when the accident happened at about 06:40 BST.
He had been in the process of trying to restart his broken-down vehicle but got distracted by his dog after it "did a bit of a runner".
[Image from here is not available to guests]
The van crashed into the level crossing at Knaresborough Station
As Lovatt tried to retrieve his dog, the van rolled down the road and crashed through a gate in the level crossing beside Knaresborough Station, before smashing into a Grade II-listed Victorian signal box which was attached to a terraced house, said prosecutor Kathryn Walters.
The force of the impact caused the gate to fly into the air and land on the tracks. The van suffered major front-end damage, including a smashed bonnet.
When police arrived, Lovatt claimed he had put the handbrake on before getting out of the vehicle. He at first blamed the accident on Reggie chewing through a cable in the handbrake, but later retracted this version of events.
As a result of the accident, Network Rail had to cancel nine services and partially cancel 14 trains between Harrogate and York during early-morning rush hour. A further 11 were delayed, with the overall disruption costing the rail operator £16,147. In addition, £6,313 of damage was caused to the level crossing.
Lovatt represented himself in court and told magistrates: "From my point of view I was trying to do something right, but it's gone wrong, accidentally. If I could have done anything to stop it happening, I would have."
He said he had felt pressured on the morning in question by the "bad" traffic on the day of the Great Yorkshire Show, which delayed him getting to work. He said this was heightened by "the dog trying to jump out of the van" and the fact that he was going through an "awkward divorce" at the time.
He said he had been left with a "big claim on my insurance" and had had to mothball his business. He said he was now reliant on state benefits. He said the incident had caused him great "mental stress" and that he was on a waiting list for mental health treatment.
Lovatt made a bid to keep his driving licence, telling magistrates he had suffered "exceptional hardship" and lived in a small village with poor public transport. He said he was also a carer for a female friend.
Magistrates acknowledged Lovatt was remorseful and that no-one was injured in the accident, but found others would not suffer due to him losing his licence.
[Image from here is not available to guests]
Jody Lovatt allowed the BBC to photograph his French bulldog, Reggie, shortly after the crash
A van driver who blamed his dog chewing through the handbrake for a crash at a railway station has been handed a six-month driving ban.
Jody Lovatt, 49, caused more than £22,000 of damage after his runaway van careered down a road and smashed through level crossing barriers before striking a building in Knaresborough on 10 July.
Lovatt, who had told a BBC reporter at the scene that his French bulldog, Reggie, had been at fault, pleaded guilty to careless driving and to endangering safety of persons conveyed by the railway earlier this month.
Earlier, he appeared at York Magistrates' Court for sentencing and told the bench: "I wish I'd stayed in bed that day."
Lovatt, of Kirkby Malzeard, was fined £253 and given three points on his licence, which brought his total to 12 and triggered an automatic disqualification.
The hearing was told Lovatt, who ran a business fitting aerials, had been on his way to a job when the accident happened at about 06:40 BST.
He had been in the process of trying to restart his broken-down vehicle but got distracted by his dog after it "did a bit of a runner".
[Image from here is not available to guests]
The van crashed into the level crossing at Knaresborough Station
As Lovatt tried to retrieve his dog, the van rolled down the road and crashed through a gate in the level crossing beside Knaresborough Station, before smashing into a Grade II-listed Victorian signal box which was attached to a terraced house, said prosecutor Kathryn Walters.
The force of the impact caused the gate to fly into the air and land on the tracks. The van suffered major front-end damage, including a smashed bonnet.
When police arrived, Lovatt claimed he had put the handbrake on before getting out of the vehicle. He at first blamed the accident on Reggie chewing through a cable in the handbrake, but later retracted this version of events.
As a result of the accident, Network Rail had to cancel nine services and partially cancel 14 trains between Harrogate and York during early-morning rush hour. A further 11 were delayed, with the overall disruption costing the rail operator £16,147. In addition, £6,313 of damage was caused to the level crossing.
Lovatt represented himself in court and told magistrates: "From my point of view I was trying to do something right, but it's gone wrong, accidentally. If I could have done anything to stop it happening, I would have."
He said he had felt pressured on the morning in question by the "bad" traffic on the day of the Great Yorkshire Show, which delayed him getting to work. He said this was heightened by "the dog trying to jump out of the van" and the fact that he was going through an "awkward divorce" at the time.
He said he had been left with a "big claim on my insurance" and had had to mothball his business. He said he was now reliant on state benefits. He said the incident had caused him great "mental stress" and that he was on a waiting list for mental health treatment.
Lovatt made a bid to keep his driving licence, telling magistrates he had suffered "exceptional hardship" and lived in a small village with poor public transport. He said he was also a carer for a female friend.
Magistrates acknowledged Lovatt was remorseful and that no-one was injured in the accident, but found others would not suffer due to him losing his licence.
At least Rune 177 can be carried out easily if you run into the signalbox.
Rule 177
When an accident to a train, or an obstruction or a failure of any part of the works affecting the safety of the line, occurs, the next station or signal box open on each side must be immediately communicated with by the most expeditious means.
