Louis Thorold's parents open up about their son's death and hope for a legacy of safer roads

The mother of a five-month-old baby killed in a crash said watching dashcam footage of the collision in court has put her mind at rest that she could not have saved her son.

Rachael Thorold was walking her baby son Louis in his pram next to the A10 in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, on 22 January, 2021, when a pensioner pulled into the path of a van which then mounted the pavement.

Louis was killed instantly and Mrs Thorold was left with serious injuries, spending 10 days in a coma.

On Friday, 75-year-old Shelagh Robertson was acquitted of causing Louis' death by careless driving by reason of insanity, because she was suffering from undiagnosed dementia.

Speaking for the first time since the trial, Louis' parents Rachael and Chris Thorold told ITV News Anglia they thought the jury's decision was the "best and right verdict", as a guilty verdict would have been "more troubling" for them.

They also said the support they had received from the public since the incident had been "incredible", changes to the A10 show Louis' death was not for nothing, and laid out their hopes for the Louis Thorold Foundation.

Louis' mother was seriously injured in the crash, spending 10 days in a coma and 118 days in hospital.

She said she was now feeling "cognitively and emotionally stronger every day".

After suffering such serious injuries in the crash, Mrs Thorold has no memories of the incident, only the last few days before.

"I think the trial allowed me to have more of an understanding of what happened and I found, while it was hard work, it was beneficial," she said.

"I realised I was a victim and there was nothing I could do. I had felt so guilty and asked 'why couldn't I have done something?'

"Having watched the dashcam footage, I had no chance and I feel more accepting of that now."

Watch Matthew Hudson's interview with Chris and Rachael Thorold:

Since Mrs Thorold left hospital, the couple have moved away from Waterbeach, saying there was nothing left for them there.

Mr Thorold said subsequent changes to the speed limit on the section of the road where Louis was killed show his death "was not for nothing".

The family campaigned to make the junction safer for pedestrians and the speed limit was reduced from 50mph to 40mph.

However, Mr and Mrs Thorold believe the case of Shelagh Robertson highlights the need for a change in the rules around driving fitness checks.

Mr Thorold said the current requirement of filling out a form to confirm a driver is mentally fit to get behind the wheel is "wrong".

Instead, he believes an independent medical assessment should be required to prevent any future unnecessary road deaths.

Lawyers for Mrs Robertson accepted that she caused the crash, but because of her undiagnosed dementia she was not in a state to know what she was doing.

Mr and Mrs Thorold said thousands of people had contacted them throughout the case, with similar "tragic" stories of deaths on the roads.

Since Louis' death, the couple have launched the Louis Thorold Foundation, which Mr Thorold said has been a "major learning curve".

It was set up with the aim of preventing infant pedestrian deaths, as Louis' parents never wanted other people to experience what they have gone through.

Mr Thorold said: "I think what we've done with the charity and foundation, it's not that we're trying to replace him - he's always in our hearts and the memories are incredible.

"But I do think that as we gain traction, the foundation is him and his impact on the world. He will follow us everywhere and we'll see where we go with it."

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