Driver who caused death of actress, 19, spared jail

A woman whose careless driving caused the death of a 19-year-old actress after their car hit a lorry at a junction has been spared prison.

Abbey Ridgway, 26, of Skelmersdale in Lancashire, pleaded guilty on 5 May at Warrington Magistrates' Court to causing the death of Rosa Taylor by careless driving.

Passenger Rosa Taylor, from Upholland, was killed when Ridgway's Hyundai i10 collided with a Scania tipper truck at the junction of the A4 and B3109, near Corsham in Wiltshire, on 24 July 2025.

Ridgway was banned from driving for two years and given a 12-month community order, told to do 200 hours of unpaid work and required to pay costs of £199.

Rosa, who was on her way to perform in a show in Corsham, was described by her family as "the most beautiful person inside and out" and with a "lifelong dedication" to performing.

Her father Gareth Taylor said: "She was the very definition of a spirit that shines brightly and dies young, loved by anyone who met her.

"She was at once the most talented, most beautiful, and most loving soul I've ever known."

Described as a natural-born performer "from birth", Rosa grew up playing leading roles at the Artz Centre in Skelmersdale, West Lancashire, and had gone on to study musical theatre at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.

She had performed with Liverpool Empire Youth Theatre in productions such as Legally Blonde: The Musical and had recently also appeared at the Liverpool Playhouse.

She was declared dead at the scene of the crash.

Ridgway and a male passenger were both seriously injured in the crash.

The HGV driver was uninjured in the collision.

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