Driver jailed over crash which left elderly man unable to walk unaided
A MAN has been jailed after ploughing his car into another vehicle - leaving an 89-year-old man with serious injuries.
Paul Lee, 42, of Albert Street, Hucknall, drove his vehicle into oncoming traffic, colliding headfirst with a woman who was driving her two elderly parents home.
Nottingham Crown Court heard how the terrifying incident had “flipped their lives upside down” with her 89-year-old father now having to sleep in a hospital bed in the house.
He also relies on walking aids, and their home has had to be adapted as a result.
It has also removed his independence as he can no longer carry out the activities he loved, such as gardening.
The incident happened at 9.10pm on April 21, 2019, in Hucknall Lane, Bulwell. Lee had been witnessed driving at speed on a 30mph road before veering into the wrong lane and crashing headfirst into a Vauxhall Corsa.
Prosecutor James Macdonald said the driver of the Corsa managed to get out and race to her parents’ aid who were trapped in the passenger and back seat. Her 86-year-old mum was left “shaken” while her 89-year old dad was “shouting in pain.”
Police said Lee was “struggling to keep his eyes open” and “smelt of alcohol” refusing to provide a sample of his breath to officers .
Police had to shine a torch in his eyes in order to gain his attention and when the fire service arrived he tried to put the car back into gear.
The elderly couple were rushed to Queen’s Medical Centre, with the 89-yearold left with a broken right hip and bruising to his shoulder. He spent seven weeks in hospital.
He had early onset dementia before the crash, but the court heard how he had suffered “a deterioration” due to the trauma of the event.
The elderly lady continued to have “nightmares” for months after the incident.
Mr Macdonald read out a victim impact statement to the court saying the 89-year-old “had to learn to walk again” and “can no longer walk without a frame.”
He said that since the incident the couple have to rely on taxis when they would previously get the bus into Kimberley, or to the church they have visited for the last 50 years. His wife told the court: “It has flipped our lives upside down - physically and emotionally.”
Lee had pleaded not guilty to the offences laid before him and blamed “a coughing fit” for causing him to swerve his vehicle into the wrong lane of oncoming traffic. He claimed he drank “two cans of cider” before the incident.
He had just reached the end of a three-year driving disqualification for not providing samples of his breath to police officers in February 2016. The DVLA had also not reissued his licence due to “concerns” over his alcohol consumption.
However, just as the case was about to be prepared for an August trial date this year, he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, using a vehicle without insurance and a licence, and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.
He was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court yesterday.
Andrew Wesley, defending Lee, said his client is remorseful for what he has done and that alcohol misuse ran in his family.
Michael Burrows QC said: “I am satisfied you had been drinking and more than the beers you told paramedics. You caused serious injuries and marred the last years of his life and the quality of his life. You did not have a valid licence to use the car, or insurance.”
Lee was sentenced to a 40-month prison sentence and disqualified from driving for six years and eight months.
You caused serious injuries and marred the last years of his life and the quality of his life.
Michael Burrows QC