White van driver jailed after schoolgirl Lexi McDavid, 12, killed getting off bus

A white van driver who knocked down and killed a 12-year-old schoolgirl after she got off a bus has been sent to jail.

Lexi McDavid was struck and fatally injured by a white Mercedes Sprinter van as she crossed Princess Drive in Huyton, in June last year. The Broughton Hall Catholic High School pupil, who was on her way home via a friend's house, was taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital where she died shortly afterwards.

The van driver, David Pursglove, 35, of Moorhey Road, Maghull, remained at the scene as members of the public rushed to help Lexi. He was driving at near 45mph on a 30mph road and was charged with causing death by careless driving.

Pursglove pleaded guilty at a hearing at Liverpool & Knowsley Magistrates Court in November. On Friday, he appeared at Liverpool Crown Court and was sentenced to eight months in prison for the offence. He was also disqualified from driving for two years and four months.

Detective Sergeant Kurt Timpson of Merseyside Police said: “This has been a very traumatic time for Lexi’s family and I know that the incident has affected so many people in the community. I would like to thank members of the public who rushed to help Lexi that day and who did everything they could to help.

“I would ask that as drivers, we all reflect on how we use our vehicles on the road.  Excess speed kills and causes unimaginable harm to people who become involved in road crashes. Not one of us would want to be involved in such incidents and we must change driving behaviour to reduce that harm.

“Merseyside Police are committed to the prevention of road death, to work towards Vision Zero - our strategy focused on driving down the amount of road traffic collisions in our regions and to lower the number of people killed and seriously injured on our streets."