You left a toddler in wheelchair for his life
ElEcTrician spEd rOund cOrnEr 21mph TOO fasT
Court Reporter A SPEEDING driver left a toddler confined to a wheelchair for life after inflicting catastrophic injuries in a horrific crash as she travelled to nursery.
The 20-month-old was in the back of a taxi with her mum and looking forward to a day at nursery when tragedy struck on the outskirts of Newcastle city centre.
Electrician Peter Jolley was heading to work in the rain early in the morning when he took a corner on a 30mph stretch of Walker Road at 51mph.
His Ford Fiesta lost grip on the wet road and fishtailed before smashing into the taxi carrying the toddler and her mum.
A court heard the devastating consequences for the little girl who will require a wheelchair for the rest of her life after the crash left her with multiple injuries, including a fractured spine which left her paralysed from the waist down.
She also sustained a fractured skull, lost a kidney and had bruising to internal organs.
Now Jolley, 36, who admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving, has been jailed for 14 months at Newcastle Crown Court, almost exactly a year since the accident.
The mother of the victim, who did not wish to be named, said after the case: “It has been a tough time since the accident which left my daughter with life-changing injuries.
“She has shown so much strength that I am constantly in awe of her and so proud of her.
“She has received a significant amount of support and rehabilitation and is now making significant gains in her recovery.
“The police and hospital staff involved since the accident have been absolutely fantastic. I cannot praise them enough.
“She has a long road to recovery but I hope that with ongoing rehabilitation and assistance she will be able to live a full and happy life.”
Jolley had stayed at the Travel Lodge, on Newcastle’s Quayside, on May 19 last year and left to go to work early the next morning.
He was heading east on the A186 Walker Road, as the toddler was sitting on her mum’s knee with a seat belt wrapped around them in the back of a Skoda Octavia taxi on their way from their home in Byker to the toddler’s city centre nursery.
Jolley took a bend in the road near Hotel du Vin 21mph faster than the 30mph speed limit and lost control, veering into the taxi in the opposite carriageway.
The taxi driver suffered whiplash and bruising and the car was badly damaged.
The toddler’s mum was left with a fractured wrist, bruising and whiplash but it was the youngster who came off by far the worst.
Prosecutor Jolyon Perks said: “She will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
“She has lost all function below waist level and she will require a high level of care.”
Her mum said in a victim impact statement read to the court that the youngster had 152 medical appointments in just five months, with more to come, and the mum has had to give up work.
She said: “It’s taken away the innocence and naivety of my little girl.
“She is not living a normal two-yearold’s life and neither are we as her family.
“Her personality is a credit to her, at the moment she is happy and chatty and at times can be a very bossy little girl.”
The mum said she is worried what the future holds while trying to deal with her extensive care needs.
Jolley admitted at the scene he had taken the corner too quickly.
An investigation showed he had been doing 51mph when he lost control, and 26mph at the point of impact.
He has no previous convictions but had six points on his licence after he was caught speeding in May 2014 and September 2014.
Jolley, of St James Crescent, Pudsey, Leeds, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was banned from driving for three years and one month and must take an extended driving test.
Sentencing, Judge Robert Spragg said: “No sentence I pass can ever reflect the appalling effect this has had on the little girl and her family.”