Pedestrian left with bleed on brain after being hit by driver

Wayne Dyke of Danes Close in Chippenham was driving a Fiat Punto along Hobley Drive shortly before 8am on Friday, October 28, 2022. He failed to stop at red traffic lights at the junction with Ermin Street and collided with a pedestrian, a man in his 60s from Swindon. The pedestrian sustained a bleed on the brain and impaired vision.

Dyke pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving and was sentenced at Swindon Magistrates Court on Friday, November 24. The 61-year-old was handed a three-year driving ban and was given a suspended 22-month prison sentence. He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, pay a GBP187 surcharge and GBP425 in 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 from 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 the 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.”