A motorist has been sentenced for careless conduct behind the wheel which caused a head-on smash near Carlisle and left another driver badly hurt.
Daniel Yates, 35, was following a sat nav and heading to pick up a trailer when the collision occurred at around 7.30am on November 17.
As Yates headed east along Newbiggin Road in a Honda CRV, a woman was travelling in the opposite direction in a Vauxhall Corsa on an S-bend close to the Junction 42 M6 interchange.
Yates’s Honda then crossed on to the wrong side of the road and collided head-on with the Vauxhall. He suffered minor injuries but the woman — sole occupant of the Honda — was unable to move her leg or get out of her car.
She was taken to hospital where an X-ray showed a fractured kneecap. Other injuries included chest pain and grazes across both hips.
When interviewed Yates admitted crossing into the opposite carriageway, saying he was unfamiliar with the road and had been following a sat nav.
At Carlisle Magistrates’ Court this afternoon, Yates admitted causing the woman serious injury by careless driving.
She had been detained in hospital, underwent surgery, had to wear a straight leg brace and later use crutches, and moved into her parents in order to be cared for.
Medical experts were hopeful she would make a full recovery. But in an impact statement, the woman revealed: “The doctors say it is highly likely I will suffer arthritis later in life.”
Defence lawyer Ant Wilson said Yates was full of genuine remorse, saying: “He would like to sincerely apologise to this lady for what happened that day and the problems it has caused her.”
Of Yates’ unfamiliarity with the road, Mr Wilson added: “He went into the other carriageway thinking it was dual carriageway and the collision was head-on. It was a momentary lapse in concentration.”
Yates, of Accrington Road, Whalley, Lancashire, was a head chef who worked long hours at different venues in remote areas.
Magistrates imposed a one-year community order comprising 140 hours’ unpaid work, and banned Yates from driving for 12 months.
