AN elderly driver has escaped jail after falling asleep at the wheel and causing a head-on crash which killed a popular Aberystwyth man.

Margaret Christopher, 81, had been looking for a layby to take a break when she failed to take a left-hand bend near Lovesgrove and drove straight into Dai England’s Peugeot 208.

Mr England died two days later from injuries to his heart and his central nervous system.

His daughter Rhian, a passenger in the front seat, suffered fractures to her arm, elbow and knee and spent three months in a wheelchair.

For the 48 hours after the crash doctors thought Christopher would die but she survived.

Today (Tuesday) at Swansea Crown Court, Christopher admitted causing death by careless driving.

She was jailed for 14 months, suspended for two years, and banned from driving for two years.

In a victim impact statement, Mr England’s widow, Mair, said she thought about her soulmate all the time. They had been married for 44 years and had three children and two grandchildren.

Andrew Nuttall, the barrister representing Christopher, said: "She understands very well that words give little comfort to the family. But all that she can say is that she is very, very sorry."

See full story in Wednesday’s Cambrian News.