An ambulance driver who caused a head-on collision that killed two pensioners, one of whom was a patient being transported in her vehicle, has avoided a prison sentence after telling a court she blacked out at the wheel. The case has raised concerns about accountability for fatal driving incidents involving medical professionals on duty, particularly where a loss of consciousness is cited as a defence.

The crash claimed the lives of two elderly victims, with one having been a patient in the ambulance at the time of the collision. Despite the fatal outcome, the driver received a non-custodial sentence after the court accepted her account of blacking out, a decision likely to prompt debate over sentencing in cases involving medical emergencies behind the wheel.