Fiat Punto driver walks free after running red light and mowing down pedestrian
A driver who went through a red light and hit a pedestrian left his victim with a bleed on the brain and unable to use one eye. Wayne Dyke, 61, of Danes Close, Chippenham, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving and walked free after being sentenced at Swindon Magistrates Court[1] on November 24. Dyke was driving a Fiat Punto along Hobley Drive, in Swindon[2], and failed to stop at red traffic lights at the junction with Ermin Street.
He struck a pedestrian, a man in his 60s, who was seriously injured in the crash which took place shortly before 8am on October 28, 2022 Dyke has been handed a three-year driving ban following the collision. He was also given a suspended 22-month prison sentence, ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, pay a GBP187 surcharge and GBP425 Crown Prosecution Service costs.
In a victim impact statement supplied to the court, the victim described how he now has to wear an eye patch and suffers with memory loss, headaches and fatigue. He added: “Mentally, I used to go out regularly to socialise. For the first four months, I couldn’t leave the house on my own.
I don’t feel safe around crowds and still feel anxious crossing roads.”
PC Craig Beales, of Wiltshire Police’s Roads Policing Unit, said: “This case just highlights how important it is to pay full attention to the road at all times.
A collision can occur in a split second and the impact it could have on someone’s life can be significant.”
References
- ^ Swindon Magistrates Court (www.wiltshirelive.co.uk)
- ^ in Swindon (www.wiltshirelive.co.uk)
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