Opssys
Flying Lawyer
Thank you for removing possible legal wrangles from the equation, whilst all sources I have able to find follow the same pattern: The accident wasn't Desmond Penrose fault,and it happened in the spring, the Year is never stated an therefore it could be 1985, or 1986 (Change of ownership was delayed but by how much).
I've made some enquiries and can now say with certainty that the accident was in 1985 and with almost 100% certainty that it was on Monday, May 6th. (May Bank Holiday that year.)
FL