Motorcyclist crashed into van carrying two children
A motorcycle rider smashed into a van carrying two children after a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre in Northumberland.
Julie Elliott was riding a Honda motorcycle on the A696 last October before being involved in a collision that caused her serious injuries.
She had overtaken vehicles as she approached a bend over double white lines before crashing into a van that contained the youngsters.
Elliott attempted to brake hard, lifting the back tyre of the bike, before the crash.
This week, Elliott, of Parry Drive, Whitburn, South Tyneside, appeared at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court facing a charge of dangerous driving. She pleaded guilty to the offence.
The court heard Elliott was riding her motorbike through Northumberland at around 3pm on October 23 last year, when motorists saw her overtaking vehicles.
Paul Coulson, prosecuting, said one driver saw Elliott ride on the wrong side of the road during a manoeuvre as a HGV travelled close by.
He said: “[The driver] noticed the motorbike was very close to the HGV and began to move out for an overtake, despite there being a double white line restriction.”
Elliott then collided with a van, causing her to come off the bike in the middle of the road.
The driver of the van that Elliott crashed into had two children travelling with him.
In a statement he said he “knew the motorbike was going to hit the van”, so he dropped his speed and steered into a verge.
He said he saw the back end of the motorbike lift off before hearing the “full impact” of the crash, which caused the airbags to be deployed. He said the children were unharmed but “shocked”.
Andrew O’Hanlon, defending, said: “It was a momentary lapse of judgement. She came off the bike and had multiple traumas,”
Magistrates adjourned the sentencing so that a pre-sentence report could be made.
Elliott was given an interim driving ban and was granted unconditional bail until her next court appearance on May 17.