In his autobiography Richard describes a terrible accident that occurred in 1969 as their van crashed into a pole on their way home from a gig killing his American girlfriend, Jeannie Franklyn, and Fairport Convention drummer, Martin Lamble. After reading his description of the scene, I can't imagine a more obvious source for "Easy There, Steady Now".
In his autobiography Richard describes a terrible accident that occurred in 1969 as their van crashed into a pole on their way home from a gig killing his American girlfriend, Jeannie Franklyn, and Fairport Convention drummer, Martin Lamble. After reading his description of the scene, I can't imagine a more obvious source for "Easy There, Steady Now".