A man has been jailed after a six year old girl from Lancaster was fatally struck by a flat-bed truck as she stepped off a bus in Bilsborrow.
The 61-year-old man behind the wheel of the white Iveco Daily truck at the time of the collision – Stephen Worden (pictured) – has been sentenced at Preston Crown Court for causing Millie Joy Gribble’s death by careless driving.
In a victim impact statement, Millie’s dad Joseph Gribble wrote: “Millie was my heartbeat, my world, my reason to improve my life in every way. The pain and the heartbreak of losing Millie cannot be put into words, but I will do my best.
“Millie was so close to all our family and the apple of my eye. Millie was my world, and we did everything together, from playing football, swimming, new adventures and movie nights when she was with me.
“Millie could do no wrong in my eyes, with her mischievous and yet loving nature. I am so proud to call Millie my daughter and always will be. Millie was adored by everyone who met her.”
He continued: ‘’The hours, the days, the weeks have passed now, and the pain is always there, there is no getting away from it.
“For myself, I now don’t know what I want from my life. My life is ruined, and I’ve lost all purpose of it. Every day is hard, some harder than others and I have to dig deep for my family and for my beautiful, amazing little girl, who never had the chance to live her life to the full.
‘’I keep going to make her proud of me. It has changed all my beliefs, and I am struggling to keep them. I can’t wait to see her again and I know that I’m wishing my life away, but all I want is to be with my beautiful Millie, the most important part of my world.”
Below: Millie Gribble
In hers, Millie’s mum Sam Edmundson wrote: “I am mummy to Millie Joy Gribble the most beautiful six-year-old girl you could ever wish to meet, a little girl with a head full of thick, long, dark brown hair, gorgeous big blue eyes with a twinkle in them, and a big cheeky smile that would melt your heart. Millie was someone who could light up a room simply by just walking in it. Everyone knew Millie and everyone loved Millie.”
She continued: “It truly breaks my heart and my heart aches knowing none of her dreams for the future are ever going to happen now. Millie loved all her family so much and this is something she would say almost every day and we, as a family, love her infinitely.
“My beautiful little girl Millie wasn’t just my daughter, she was my best friend, my everything. I miss her bright, cheerful, innocent energy, the sound of her voice, her giggle, the feel of her hand in mine. I miss our cuddles. I just miss everything about her. I just want my beautiful little girl back.”
At 1.15pm on 15th August 2023, officers were called to the A6 Garstang Road in Bilsborrow, after Worden’s truck had collided with a stationary double decker bus, before mounting a nearside grass verge and striking three children who had just stepped off the bus.
One of those children was Millie who was taken to Alder Hey Hospital with a catastrophic head injury. Tragically she died six days later, with her parents by her bedside.
The two other children – a boy now aged 16 and a girl now aged 15 – were left with serious injuries, but they were not life-changing.
Worden, of Cartmell Lane, Nateby, Preston, was later charged with causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Following a trial at Preston Crown Court in October, Worden was found not guilty of those three offences. However, he had earlier pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and two counts of causing serious injury by careless driving.
He returned to the same court today, Tuesday December 9, where he was sentenced to 12 months immediate custody.
He was also disqualified from driving for two years.
Sgt Martin Wilcock, a Senior Investigating Officer at the Road Policing Unit, said: “While I know today’s media focus will be on Worden and the sentence he has received, my thoughts are very much with Millie and her loved ones.
“Millie’s death has had and continues to have a profound impact on her family. It is clear to me that if you knew Millie, you loved her. And she is someone who is incredibly missed.
“While it is not for me to comment on a sentencing, I hope Millie’s tragic death will focus people’s minds on the dangers of careless driving.”
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