A BUSINESSMAN who knocked down an elderly pedestrian in his fork lift truck has been cleared of dangerous driving.

But a jury found Ronald Christopher Guidi guilty of the lesser charge of careless driving, which he accepted while giving evidence at his trial at Durham Crown Court.

It stems from an accident involving a 93-year-old woman, who uses a walking frame, near the entrance to Guidi’s warehouse, in an old Co-op store building in Seaham, on August 7 last year.

The court heard the defendant runs a chain of six Crazy Clearance discount stores across the North-East, including one in Church Street, Seaham.

On that day, an unusually large articulated lorry arrived with a delivery of goods at the warehouse, in Green Street.

Due to its size, Guidi asked the driver to park further along the road, so as not to block traffic outside his premises.

He then used his fork lift truck, usually confined to the warehouse, to make shuttle runs to collect pallets of goods from the lorry.

But the court heard that returning with the third load, approaching the warehouse, his 15-year-old son, acting as “banksman” in the doorway, shouted a warning to Guidi as he was about to turn into the entrance.

Although he slammed on the brakes, he was unable to avoid colliding with the pedestrian, who was approaching the kerb, having crossed Green Street, while doing her shopping.

Stephen Duffield, prosecuting, said she was knocked briefly unconscious, but having come round, she was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital.

She spent two days in the hospital, suffering a broken left ankle and a hairline fracture of the right ankle, a head injury from the fall, plus other bruising and abrasions.

Giving evidence, Guidi said he did not see the woman ahead, and conceded his view was partly blocked by the 5ft pallet of goods on the fork lift in front of him, despite raising his seat in the cab.

He agreed that, with the benefit of hindsight, he should have had a banksman walking alongside him as he drove with his view partially blocked, or he could have cut the pallet load in half.

Asked how he felt about the accident, he replied: “Embarrassed and ashamed. I wish it never happened.

“If I had the opportunity to go back and change one thing in my life that would be it.”

Guidi, 44, of Cherry Grove, Seaham, denied dangerous driving.

The jury returned a unanimous ‘not guilty’ verdict after less than five minutes’ deliberation, but found him ‘guilty’ of careless driving.

Guidi admitted a charge of no insurance, as he was not covered to drive the fork lift beyond the warehouse door.

Recorder Anton Lodge imposed a £1,300 fine, with £120 statutory surcharge.

But after accepting that a motoring ban could cause “exceptional hardship”, putting at risk the jobs of 40 of his employees. Recorder Lodge chose not to impose a driving disqualification on the defendant.