A York man has been jailed for causing serious injury by dangerous driving after his speeding car struck a nursery worker who lost a leg and broke her arm.
Scott Bradley, 37, was driving a Ford Mondeo which struck a pedestrian as she crossed Acomb Road in Holgate on her way to work.
The horrific incident occurred on the morning of 7 April, 2022, when she was on her way to work at a nursery in Acomb.
Prosecutor Jemima Stephenson said that moments before the accident, the woman pedestrian had “got off the bus, dropped into the corner shop and then headed up Acomb Road in the direction of her work”.
She always crossed the road at the same point, “outside a driveway where there is a white line to stop cars from parking there, so she could get a clearer view of the road” as vehicles often parked on both sides of the street.
“She checked both ways, waited for a couple of cars to pass and then set off across the road,” added Ms Stephenson.
“Once she had started to cross, the defendant approached, coming down the hill in his Ford Mondeo. At this time of the day, the sun was low in the sky and the road surface was wet, causing a glare towards (Bradley).”
The woman pedestrian “immediately realised the defendant’s car was travelling very fast and set off running to get to the other side.
“The defendant’s car hit the pedestrian, she spun off the front corner of the car and landed in the road. Immediately on impact, the bottom part of her leg was amputated.”
At the time of the collision, a named woman was walking to work on Acomb Road and was video blogging her journey.
“On that video, you can hear the defendant’s car travelling at a noticeably higher speed than other passing vehicles and you can see (the female witness’s) reaction as the defendant’s vehicle speeds past her,” added Ms Stephenson.
“A split second later, you hear the thud of the car hitting the pedestrian.”
Broken arm
CCTV from a camera near the collision point showed that Bradley’s car was travelling at speeds of between 50mph and 54mph on a 30mph stretch of road.
Members of the public went to assist the woman and paramedics arrived soon afterwards. She was taken by ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary where she was treated for the amputation of her leg and a fracture to her arm.
Acomb Road was closed from The Fox pub junction to New Lane on the morning of the crash while police carried out investigations.
Bradley, of Wilberforce Avenue, Clifton, was charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving but initially denied the offence.
He finally pleaded guilty on the day his trial was due to take place in October last year and appeared for sentence yesterday (Thursday, 9 January).
The court heard that Bradley had held a full driving licence since January 2020, albeit with three points on his licence for a speeding offence in June 2021.
He had no previous convictions. Judge Simon Hickey jailed Bradley for 16 months and banned him from driving for two years and eight months.