A man has admitted careless driving after he hit a schoolgirl on a pedestrian crossing in Carlisle.
Carlisle’s magistrates’ court heard how Michael Andrzej Porowski, 40, was driving along Wigton Road in the city at about 8am on his way to work on October 8 last year.
George Shelley, prosecuting, told the court the young girl was thrown onto the bonnet of the car hitting the windscreen.
The victim told police she started crossing when the green man was showing.
In a police interview Porowski, of Skiddaw Road, said the windscreen was “a little steamed up, and this might have obstructed his view” and that this could have been a factor in the collision.
An impact statement read out from the victim stated the girl still gets nightmares, no longer likes walking to school and she thinks about the incident every day.
The schoolgirl was taken to the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle but suffered no injuries.
Jeff Smith, defending, told the court his client is from Poland but has lived in this country for more than 20-years.
The court heard that the defendant was shocked the collision happened and that he has apologised to the young girl. He also asked his defence solicitor to apologise in open court.
He admitted it was negligence on his part, and that the partly misted windscreen was a factor.
Porowski was originally charged with dangerous driving, but he pleaded guilty to the less serious charge of careless driving.
On sentencing, the presiding magistrate said, the defendant has shown remorse and apologised to the victim, but he had “jumped a red light”.
Six penalty points were placed on his licence, he was fined £256, was ordered to pay prosecuting costs of £85 and a victims surcharge of £34.
Compensation to the victim was considered, but after receiving advice that compensation could be awarded through an insurance claim, no compensation order was made by the court.
