Carjacker left cyclist for dead as he fled police
A CARJACKER crashed into a cyclist and left him for dead while fleeing from police.
John Burns, 30, took a car from a woman at a petrol station and led police on a high-speed pursuit, swerving across lanes and driving on the wrong side of the road at up to 50mph.
The car, a VW Polo, rounded a bend and smashed into Jack Talbot, 25, a paramedic and a keen competitive cyclist.
The collision snapped Mr Talbot’s bike in half and sent the cyclist 30ft into the air. He spent 13 days in a coma, and suffered a catalogue of life-threat- ening injuries, including a brain injury, fractured spine, and a broken shoulder and ribs.
Police found the car abandoned after the crash in July in Ulverston, Cumbria. Inside officers found a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey – and Burns’ driving licence.
Burns, of Sycamore Drive in Radcliffe, near Bury, pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court to offences including theft and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was jailed for nine-and-a-half years and disqualified from driving for eight years, nine months.
Speaking as he continues his recovery, Mr Talbot thanked medics at the Royal Preston Hospital and the Great North Air Ambulance Service for sav- ing his life. He got to meet the air ambulance medics who landed on the day and tended to him.
Mr Talbot, a North West Ambulance Service paramedic based in Ulverston, said: “As a paramedic, I think I used to take the air ambulance for granted, but as a patient I see them totally different. I was lucky that they were available because they’re not only quick at getting people to hospital but they have a doctor on board. I wouldn’t be here without them.
“I’m a lot better now and my memory seems to be back to normal, although it wasn’t great to start with.”
The court heard that Burns threatened a woman at Truckhaven services in Carnforth to steal her car, having earlier attempted to steal a Range Rover at Forton Services near Lancaster, telling a lone woman inside that he had a knife.
Judge Philip Parry called him a ‘coward’ and ‘despicable’, adding that he showed a ‘complete disregard for vulnerable road users’.
Mr Talbot’s solicitor Rachel Botterill, from law firm Leigh Day, said: “He is relieved the criminal proceedings are now over and justice has been done. This was an horrific collision. A keen cyclist, Mr Talbot is fortunate to be a member of British Cycling, who are supporting his legal claim following the potentially life-altering injuries he sustained.”