Drunk motorist gets road ban after Cannock crash put woman and child in hospital
A drink-driver has been banned from the road for 18 months after a crash put a woman and child in hospital over Christmas.
A 33-year-old woman was seriously injured and a five-year-old boy was also hurt when they were struck by a car which was shunted into them.
The crash happened at around 6.20pm on Thursday, December 23, last year, at the A34 Walsall Road island in Bridgtown near Cannock.
The court heard that motorist Matthew Darby was at the wheel of a Skoda that struck a Toyota which then shunted forward on impact and struck the victims.
Darby, 33, was fined £400 for the offence after previously pleading guilty to driving with excess alcohol at a previous hearing at Cannock Magistrates' Court.
His breath test measured 65 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.
Following the incident Staffordshire Police said the victims had to spend Christmas in hospital, with the woman in a serious condition.
At his plea hearing last month Darby said: "I am sorry about what's happened. I'm concerned about the lady."
The driver and passenger of the blue Toyota Hilux, a man and a woman both in their 50s, were unhurt.
Darby, of Park Road West, Wolverhampton, was sentenced to an 18-month driving ban.
He was fined £400, ordered to pay £135 costs and £40 victims' surcharge as well as attend a driving course. He was also made subject to a fines collection order.
