Motorcyclist suffered injuries after Milford Haven crash
Paramedic Sean Luby was riding on the A4076 Steynton Road in Milford Haven at around 5.15pm on January 29 last year when Charlotte Harding pulled out in to him from the junction with Green Close.
“The failed to adequately look for oncoming traffic,” prosecutor Hannah George said.
“The incident caused Mr Luby to be thrown in to the air before he landed on the floor and was rendered unconscious,” Ms George said.
Off-duty nurses and firefighters were at the scene and rushed to Mr Luby’s aid as he went in to cardiac arrest. They treated Mr Luby until the ambulance arrived. He was airlifted to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff[2], where he was taken to intensive care and put in an induced coma.
Ms George said Mr Luby suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, a collapsed lung, extensive rib fractures, a fractured orbital bone, eye injuries, a fractured pelvis, and an open fracture to his left wrist.
He remained at UHW for around two months, before being transferred to Glangwili Hospital, and later to Neath Port Talbot Hospital.
Ms George said Mr Luby still was still receiving ongoing care, and was awaiting further surgery.
Mr Luby said his life had “changed in the blink of an eye”, and that he was unable to continue his work as a paramedic – which he had done for over 30 years.
Harding, 38, of Murray Road in Milford Haven, had no previous convictions and a clean driving licence.
She admitted a charge of causing serious injury by careless driving.[3]
Ian Bridge, in mitigation, read out a letter from Harding where she apologised to Mr Luby.
“I have replayed the accident over and over again and to this day I cannot understand how it happened,” Harding said.
“She is broken by what she has done to somebody who was utterly undeserving,” Mr Bridge said.
He added that Harding had been a member of the Territorial Army’s logistics division and had been doing her HGV driving qualifications at the time of the crash.
“This is a terribly tragic case. That accident has been nothing short of catastrophic for Mr Luby,” Judge Paul Thomas KC said.
“His life has been turned upside down as a result of the quite dreadful life threatening injuries that he sustained.
“He very nearly lost his life. It’s only due to the heroic efforts of the people on the scene that he didn’t.”
He sentenced Harding to 18 weeks, suspended for 12 months. She must complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
Harding was banned from driving for a year.
References
- ^ here (www.facebook.com)
- ^ He was airlifted to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ She admitted a charge of causing serious injury by careless driving. (www.westerntelegraph.co.uk)