Vet jailed after road crash
A VET has been jailed for causing a road crash which left a barrister with life-changing injuries and unable to work. Simona Panait, 31, sobbed as she was jailed for 10 months.
A VET sobbed as she was jailed for causing a collision which has left a barrister with serious injuries and unable to work.
Simona Panait, 31, was behind the wheel of a hired Vauxhall Astra when the collision occurred on the A4059 near Abercynon, on May 15 last year.
The defendant hit a Nissan Qashqai, driven by barrister Felicie Lucas, head on after trying to overtake two lorries and a car as dual lanes merged into a single lane.
Romanian national Panait slammed on her brakes, causing her to lose control of her car which crashed into Ms Lucas’ vehicle in the opposite carriageway.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday heard Panait, from the Vale of Glamorgan, was was on her way to work and came off the A470 for the A4059 towards Abercynon and Aberdare.
Describing the collision, prosecutor Steven Donoghue said: “The defendant was driving down the A4059 and there was a line of traffic in the inside lane where there was a dual carriageway.
“At the time in question, the weather had been rather poor and there had been heavy rain, making the road wet but at the time of the collision the rain had almost stopped.
“The defendant decided to go into the outside of the two lanes and overtook the vehicles.
“She overtook a lorry, a car and a second lorry which gave rise to difficulty.
“The defendant did not exceed the speed limit but witnesses said she was driving past them.
“The driver of the car says there was a gap between her car and the lorry in front of her but the defendant chose to overtake the lorry, but that wasn’t going to be possible because the road narrows.
“The witnesses said (Panait) initially tried to speed up and overtake the lorry but then they heard screeching of brakes and saw she had lost control of her vehicle which span round violently and crossed the carriageway and hit the car driven by Felicie Lucas head on in effect.”
Mr Donoghue said Ms Lucas had seen the defendant driving towards her but believed she was going to “nip back in” to her own carriageway but when Panait overtook the second vehicle she said there was “an awful feeling of inevitability” when she realised she was going to hit the car.
The prosecutor added: “This was a very violent collision and Ms Lucas’ airbag was deployed, the car was crushed and she was unable to be liberated until the fire brigade and ambulance arrived.
Ms Lucas was taken to hospital where she received treatment for serious injuries such as a fracture to her right collarbone and fractures to her left wrist and ankle, which resulted in a number of operations.
In a victim personal statement, Ms Lucas said her injuries were “significant and life changing” and in addition to her physical injuries, she is also suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder.
As a result of the trauma and constant pain, Ms Lucas said she was no longer able to care for or pick up her grandchildren and was no longer able to work, which meant her husband had to give up working full time in order to care for her.
Panait was interviewed by police, after being in hospital for three weeks, and admitted being behind the wheel of the Astra and confirmed that she was responsible for the collision.
She pleaded guilty to a charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving at the first opportunity.
Defence barrister Clare Wilks told the court her client felt “extreme remorse” for what had happened to Ms Lucas and said she was “unable to explain” what made her try to overtake the vehicles.
She said: “It’s plain she made a significant error of judgement and she has panicked.”
In reference to her job as an on-call vet, Ms Wilks said Panait was well thought of by employers who described her as “hardworking” and “willing to go the extra mile” for her clients, but if she were to receive a custodial sentence she would likely lose her employment and her accommodation.
Sentencing, Judge Michael Fitton QC said: “All of your actions taken together amounts to a failure on your part which amounts to dangerous driving.
“This was a substantial risk of danger that arose.
“In your your decision to hit the brakes and panic I do concede your limited experience as a driver mitigates the impact of your failure.
“The injuries you caused to Felicie Lucas you know are very serious and life changing and there’s not a day in which she’s not in pain. It appears she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and she is unlikely to work as a barrister again.”
Panait, of The Courtlands, Hayes Road, Sully, was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment. She was also disqualified from driving for a period of three years and five months.