WATCH: CCTV released of brutal hit-and-run after driver sped through red light
Footage has been released of the horrifying moment a speeding driver ploughed into a cyclist after running a red light in the Black Country.
Jason Handley was driving at almost twice the 30mph speed limit when he hit Robert Turner as he crossed Walsall Road in Willenhall on his bike last year.
Mr Turner was in hospital for 15 days as a result, with injuries including several leg fractures and a "huge" elbow injury which left his bone and muscle exposed.
Last week Handley was jailed for 21 months and banned from driving for five years after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving. And now footage of the collision has been released by police with Mr Turner's permission.
WATCH the CCTV footage here:
In the video, the traffic lights can be seen turning from green to amber to red before Handley's Mercedes CLA hurtles through as 24-year-old Mr Turner starts cycling across a pedestrian crossing.
Handley, a 31-year-old bricklayer, then hits Mr Turner at Walsall Road's junction with Clarkes Lane while travelling at around 54mph.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how Handley initially turned around and pulled up next to his victim, who said to him: "Look what you've done, you idiot" to which Handley replied: "It's your fault, you did it to yourself".
But Handley, a father of three, drove off when he saw the extent of Mr Turner's injuries.
Handley again tried blaming the cyclist to police, claiming he'd ridden out in front of his car when the lights were on amber, before eventually admitting being at fault when the CCTV footage proved this otherwise.
Handley, from Ridge Close in Bentley, had also taken an illegal short cut from Wolverhampton Road West into Walsall Road shortly before the collision, despite the road near the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple clearly being restricted for buses and access.
Detective Constable Karl Davies, from West Midlands Police's serious collision investigation unit, said: “This is a clear example of the devastation that can be caused when drivers who think they are above the law, flout the rules at any expense.
“The cyclist has still got mobility issues as a result of Handley’s careless actions and the trauma of the day stays with him.
“There are special zones for buses and access for a reason and aside from the fact he was found to be speeding, something even more serious could have happened."
Mr Turner has been housebound and suffering from depression since the collision happened on July 27 last year, the court was told.
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.
