Driver fined just £175 as gran suffers ‘life sentence’ Husband condemns judgment after bus ran over woman
ACARELESS bus driver who left a grandmother braindamaged and needing half of her skull replaced after his vehicle mounted a pavement has been fined just £175.
Deborah Davies, 56, suffered catastrophic head injuries when Surjeet Singh Pal lost control of his bus in Church Street, Stourbridge.
She had been walking to an estate agent with her grandchild and husband Steve to complete a new home purchase when the accident happened.
Incredibly, Mrs Davies survived despite her severe injuries but had to have part of her skull replaced with a metal plate.
Driver Surjeet Singh Pal, 57, from Waterside Close, Wolverhampton, was fined just £175 for careless driving when he appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.
He was also banned from driving for six months and must re-apply to the DVLA for his licence.
Causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving currently carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail.
But there is no provision in law for the offence of causing serious injury by careless driving.
Husband Mr Davies, 58, said: “Deborah has gone from being a vibrant and vivacious young grandmother to being solely dependent on me and our family. Last year we were moments away from a new home and were looking forward to a very happy rest of our lives together, surrounded by our grandchildren. “Now, Deborah is merely existing. “She has such a poor quality of life compared to the one she planned for, and we built together.
“She is living a life sentence while the man who did this to her can put everything behind him and continue living his life.
“I am disgusted and dismayed that there is no provision in law to adequately reflect the catastrophic, irrevocable damage this incident has done, both to Deborah physically and to our lives as a family.”
It is understood Singh Pal was driving towards a bend when his bus inexplicably mounted the pavement on May 20 last year. Mr Davies saw his wife of 39 years “swept” off her feet.
She sustained a severe brain injury as a result of the crash, leading to a clot on the brain which required lifesaving surgery and extensive rehabilitation. She also suffered a broken neck, fractured cheek, broken ribs and a punctured lung.
Deborah was initially treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, where she was placed in an induced coma for a week because of the severity of her injuries.
She returned home in October last year while she awaited a craniotomy to replace the missing part of her skull.
Her prognosis means the couple may need to move from their new home and in to an adapted house.
The devoted grandmother can no longer care for her five grandchildren, visit close friends or walk her miniature schnauser, Archie, as she did before the crash.