The incident occurred when Hodge's Citroen C1 mounted the kerb on a main road in Bristol, hitting Crossman. The impact sent Crossman over the railings of Brunel Way, causing her to crash down onto a BMX pump track below and suffer catastrophic injuries. She died just a few hours later surrounded by her family.
Hodge told police she could not account for how the accident happened. A jury at Bristol Crown Court deliberated for six hours before returning the guilty verdict, and Hodge will be sentenced at a later date. The specific sentence she will receive remains unknown.
She was asked if she thought she had a medical condition and she replied that she didn't, she was asked if she thought she had experienced a medical episode and she replied 'no', and she was asked if she lost consciousness and she replied 'no'.
Crossman was an RAF veteran who served for more than two decades, had once managed Wales' national rugby and netball teams, and had been seconded to the Pentagon near Washington DC and NATO in Brussels during her career. She was walking to a Take That concert when she was hit. Hodge was coming home from a day's walking in the Mendips and chatting to friends before the crash.
According to Daily Mail - News, Hodge described the road as not busy and said she was driving within the speed limit. She tested negative for drink and drugs in the aftermath of the crash. Hodge had been diagnosed with epilepsy by neurologists after the incident and had suffered 'weird' episodes beforehand, but had never suffered a seizure.
I'm going to get back because I don't know what she's up to.
The exact cause of her losing concentration, given this medical context, is unclear. According to Daily Mail - News, Adam Vaitilingam KC described that Hodge told police she did not think she had a medical condition, experienced a medical episode, or lost consciousness during the crash. Witnesses told police that Hodge's red Citroen C1 had been 'swerving in and out' of a bus lane in the minutes before the crash.
The exact injuries Crossman suffered have not been detailed.