Phillip Smythe: Pensioner who died after driving down M1 in wrong lane, diagnosed with suspected dementia days earlier

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Dsen .N

Lurgan off-slip on the M1. Source: Google Maps

An 84-year-old man who died after colliding with a stationary police car while driving on the wrong side of the M1 motorway was diagnosed with suspected dementia and advised not to drive in the days before the tragedy.

However, the inquest was told that Phillip Smythe, of Banbridge, would “probably” have forgotten the advice given to his carer within “a few minutes”.