Speeding driver put cyclist in hospital for 15 days after jumping lights in Walsall
A speeding motorist who knocked down a cyclist when he jumped red traffic lights and then tried to blame his victim has been jailed for 21 months.
Jason Handley had taken an illegal short cut along a bus route in Willenhall when he collided with Robert Turner, tossing him into the air and causing him “life-changing” injuries, it was said.
The defendant’s Mercedes “thundered” up Walsall Road so fast it caused a bus to shake as the car overtook it, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.
The 24-year-old victim was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where two teams of surgical doctors were needed to work on serious leg and arm injuries.
Handley, a 31-year-old bricklayer, had driven up Wolverhampton Road West before taking a right into Walsall Road by the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple which is restricted to buses and access only, said Mr John Evans, prosecuting.
As he approached the junction at Clarkes Lane, the traffic lights turned amber but instead of braking Handley accelerated.
Collision experts estimated his speed to be 55mph when he struck Mr Turner who had been using the pedestrian crossing for safety reasons.
After being thrown into the air, Mr Turner landed on the Mercedes’ windscreen and fell into the road. Handley initially drove on but then stopped and returned to the scene.
The victim, who suffered a"huge" elbow injury which exposed his bone and muscle, as well as severe leg fractures, said to him: "Look what you've done, you idiot" to which Handley replied: "It's your fault, you did it to yourself".
15 days in hospital
The court heard that the lights turned to amber when Bentley's car was 125 yards from the junction and were red with 45 yards still to go.
He claimed he was doing around 30mph at the time and had crossed the junction on amber.
Mr Turner spent 15 days in hospital and has been housebound and suffering from depression since the collision on July 27 last year.
His memory of the incident is still "raw and vivid" and he has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder as a result.
Although he can now walk unaided, he suffers aches and shooting pains in his legs if he goes further than 400 yards, the court heard.
Defending him, Mr Jasvir Mann said that Bentley, a father of three, had expressed "considerable remorse and regret" and despite his comment to Mr Turner, now accepted that he was fully to blame.
Handley, of Ridge Close, Bentley, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He was also banned from driving for five years.
