Coroner Slams US Government for Failing to Provide Driver Training for Americans at Base Near Site of Harry Dunn’s Death | UK News

June 13, 2024 TruthUSA

The coroner in the inquest into the death of Harry Dunn has recommended better driver training for Americans at the RAF base near where the 19-year-old was killed.

Mr Dunn was hit by a Volvo driven by Anne Sacoolas in August 2019, after she drove on the wrong side of the B4031 in Northamptonshire while he was riding a motorbike.

He died in hospital the same day.

The coroner concluded Mr Dunn died as a result of a road traffic collision and issued three prevention of future death notices in a bid to stop similar tragedies occurring.

Analysis: Harry’s family still have questions over crash – but killer has remained in the shadows

Two prevention of death notices were sent to the UK’s Department of Health over the drugs paramedics carry and overworked ambulance services.

A third notice was issued to the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence around driver training at RAF Croughton.

Sacoolas, a US government employee, had been based at the RAF station – which is also used by US forces – at the time the crash happened.

Northamptonshire coroner Anne Pember criticised the US government for a lack of training provided to Sacoolas before the crash.

Harry Dunn’s family responds

Neither Sacoolas nor representatives from the US embassy attended the inquest – prompting the Dunn family spokesperson Radd Seiger to say the US government’s position was that “lives of UK citizens like Harry ultimately do not matter”.

He said: “It was not enough for them to kill Harry. It wasn’t enough for them to then kick Harry’s family in their darkest hour and seek to deny and delay the justice that they were entitled to.”

Speaking to Sky News after the inquest, Harry’s mother Charlotte Charles said the family is “relieved”, “proud” and “tired”.

Asked if she thinks she will ever get to see Sacoolas face to face, Ms Charles said the American “hasn’t got it in her”.

“She’s just a coward,” she said. “Sadly, that’s the only word that I can sum up. We’re disgusted. Disappointed doesn’t come anywhere close.”

Ms Charles criticised Sacoolas for “snubbing” not just Harry’s family, but the coroner too.

“It’s just extremely difficult for me to get my head around with her being a mum of three herself,” she added.

“She really could have had the chance to redeem herself a little bit this week and show us that she really did care.”

If she ever got the chance to have a conversation with Sacoolas, she said she would have wanted her to show remorse.

“We understand you made one horrific error in your driving that night,” she said.

“Your driving, we can forgive… running away, we can’t forgive. I couldn’t have done that.”

Mr Seiger also said Labour, if they get into power, has promised the family a public inquiry into how Sacoolas was able to leave the country with diplomatic immunity after causing Harry’s death.

“We won’t let [the US government] get away with it and we look forward to working with the next government to establish this public inquiry,” he said.

“We were all horrified as a nation to see how the US government treated Harry’s family. This must never happen again.

“The American national anthem ends ‘land of the free, home of the brave’. They haven’t demonstrated an ounce of bravery at all preferring to run, hide and obstruct.”