Driver blamed cyclist he nearly killed at junction
ADANGEROUS driver mowed down a cyclist after ‘‘barreling’’ through a red light – then blamed him for the collision.
Derek Hall failed to stop at the pelican crossing in Queslett Road, Great Barr, even though other vehicles ahead of him had pulled up, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
He ploughed into a father-of-two, in his 30s, sending him flying into the air, but shamelessly tried to argue the cyclist was partially at fault for not wearing high visibility clothing and having his headphones on.
The cyclist’s catastrophic injuries, including brain damage, were feared to be ‘‘unsurvivable’’ at first.
Three years on from the incident, he is still in a rehabilitation centre and unable to walk or talk.
His devastated wife said her family effectively died on that day of the collision, adding she was now ‘‘so tired I can’t even cry’’. Hall, 60, of Dyas Road, Great Barr, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He was jailed for three years and four months and banned from driving for three years, eight months.
Judge Sarah Buckingham told him: “You were driving too fast for that piece of the road.
“The lights were on red and you should have stopped. You showed total disregard for pedestrians and other road users at that point. You didn’t slow down and continued to drive in that manner.”
Michael Aspinall, prosecuting, said the collision occurred at 7.42am on Tuesday, January 29, 2019. That stretch of Queslett Road has a 40mph speed limit and there was a red triangular warning sign 110 metres before the junction.
A motorist waiting at the lights closed her eyes in fear of the inevitable tragedy after seeing Hall’s silver Renault Cleo drive past her. Then she
heard an ‘‘almighty crack’’.
The prosecutor added: “She saw the cyclist lying on the left-hand lane. The defendant stopped his car about six feet in front of where he was lying’.”
Another witness stated he saw Hall ‘‘come from the left and barrel through the red light’’, estimating he was travelling between 30 to 40mph.
Hall told police he approached the light on amber but carried on because he was ‘‘already committed to the junction and couldn’t stop’’.
He also said a 4x4 in the right-hand lane obstructed his view but ultimately ‘‘couldn’t explain why he didn’t make an emergency stop’’.
Mr Aspinall provided an update as to how the cyclist, now 38, was, as of April this year.
He said: “He has to use a wheelchair for mobility and a heavy-duty Zimmer frame. His speech is slurred and he is using a tablet for complex conversations.”
In an impact statement, his wife
stated: ‘‘My family is gone, it died that day.’’ She added: “I had to learn how to be mum and dad. I had to take over all of my husband’s duties overnight.
“Learning new things every day. Quite often I feel overwhelmed.
“I have never slept through the night since for fear of upcoming challenges. I am so tired I can’t even cry. I don’t feel anything anymore.”
Simon Hanns, defending, said: “He stopped, stayed and tried to assist the injured party. He made no attempt to leave. He said to one witness. ‘it was me’. He was in a distressed state.
“He voluntarily attended a police interview and struggled to deal with what had happened himself.”
But Judge Buckingham said: “You have shown limited insight, blaming him for his position, saying he wasn’t wearing high visibility clothing, his lights were not bright enough and he had headphones on.
“You knocked him over because you drove through a red light.”