Sickening moment woman is thrown 30 metres in the air and left with broken spine after being hit by banned and speeding Audi driver
Published: 14:20, 21 January 2025 | Updated: 14:57, 21 January 2025
This is the sickening moment a woman is thrown 30 metres in the air in a horror smash that left her with a broken spine.
The 42-year-old woman was struck by the banned and speeding Audi A3 driver when they were travelling at more than 45mph down the busy street in Hull[2], East Yorks.
Luke Gough, 36, fled the scene and his car was found burnt out half a mile away moments after the crash on July 31, 2022.
Harrowing footage shows the woman stepping out into Princess Avenue, before the car speeds along the road towards her. She can be seen desperately trying to get out of its way as the lights bear down on her.
As it crashes into the woman she is flung high in the air - before bouncing on the roof of the vehicle, smashing into the road and scraping for metres along the tarmac.
Julia Baggs, prosecuting, said the woman was on a night out and had been drinking, and had just got a takeaway pizza before crossing.
There was a 'loud bang and a crack' when the car hit her, just as she was about to cross the road, shortly after 1.15am.
Harrowing footage shows the 42-year-old woman stepping out into Princess Avenue, before the car speeds along the road towards her
As it crashes into the woman she is flung high in the air - before bouncing on the roof of the vehicle, smashing into the road and scraping for metres along the tarmac
Luke Gough, 36, (left) was jailed for five and a half years at Hull Crown Court and banned from driving for life after admitting the charge. His passenger Gemma Johnson, 31, (right) pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and was jailed for nine months, suspended for two years
Gough drove off with a completely broken windscreen, leaving her horribly injured on the ground.
She was in Hull Royal Infirmary for just under a month, initially in the trauma ward.
She needed three operations in that time to treat injuries including a fractured spine, broken leg, a torn ligament, and a dislocated knee, police said.
She was moved to Castle Hill Hospital and needed ongoing care, including a bed in her living room for her and regular physiotherapy. She had an operation on her right leg in November last year and would need a knee replacement.
An onlooker later said: 'It looked like the Audi was absolutely flooring it.'
'A witness described a loud bang and a crack,' said Miss Baggs. Another witness thought that the woman on the ground was dead.
All the woman could remember was walking up confused and disoriented.
Police said the black Audi had sustained damage to the front of the car consistent with striking a pedestrian.
Johnson was heard to say: 'You have just hit a f***ing woman. Get out. Get the f*** out.'
Another male said: 'I think she's dead, mate.' Johnson told Gough to burn the car. 'Luke, you f***ing burn it.'
As it crashes into the woman she is flung high in the air - before bouncing on the roof of the vehicle, smashing into the road and scraping for metres along the tarmac
The woman bounced on the roof of the vehicle, smashing into the road and scraping for metres along the tarmac
She said that there was a petrol can. 'Get out and empty the boot,' she said. 'Get my bag.' A child's car seat belonging to Johnson was found in a front garden.
Gough was later arrested for causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
On Monday, he was jailed for five and a half years at Hull Crown Court and banned from driving for life after admitting the charge.
His passenger Gemma Johnson, 31, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and was jailed for nine months, suspended for two years.
Police went to Gough's home in Marfleet Lane on August 1, where Johnson eventually answered the door and she pretended that she did not know where he was.
'He was hiding in the loft in his pants and socks,' said Miss Baggs.
Police said they established it had been travelling at more than 45mph down Princes Avenue, a 30mph zone, at the time of the incident.
When they were arrested, officers found a shard of glass in the washing machine that matched a sample taken from the car.
Gough drove off with a completely broken windscreen, leaving her horribly injured on the ground
Police said they established it had been travelling at more than 45mph down Princes Avenue, a 30mph zone, at the time of the incident
And during a forensic examination of the Audi, a blood spot was discovered which was a positive match for Gough.
Gough had bought the car only nine days earlier, even though he was a banned driver.
He had been disqualified in 2006 and had never passed the extended retest that he was supposed to do before driving again.
Cannabis, valued at ?465, was found in kitchen cupboards and a bedroom during a police search, alongside ?755 cash and Diazepam under a mattress.
The woman, a self-employed carpet cleaner, still could not do her physically demanding work because of her lack of mobility.
'She described the situation as a never-ending nightmare,' said Miss Baggs. 'Her life has clearly been significantly altered and disrupted.'
'The collision has literally turned my life upside down,' she said.
Gough had convictions for 34 previous offences, including aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.
Julia Baggs, prosecuting, said the woman was on a night out and had been drinking, and had just got a takeaway pizza before crossing
Gough had bought the car only nine days earlier, even though he was a banned driver
He had been jailed for 10 years in 2016 for robbery of an 84-year-old man.
Eddison Flint, mitigating, said that the woman's life was 'now changed forever' and Gough would have to live with that for the rest of his life.
He had spent only 10 months out of the last nine years out of prison.
'This is a life that he can no longer lead,' said Mr Flint. 'He has expressed his utmost regret and remorse. He accepts his guilt. He does want to turn his life around.
'His driving was unforgivable.
What happened next was equally so. The defendant had not been out of prison for very long when this happened.
'It was blind panic. He had spent almost five years in prison and he knew that, after what happened, he would be straight back there.
It was a short drive to where the vehicle was left and then burned out.'
Charlotte Baines, representing Johnson, said that the defendant had been drinking at the time. She panicked after seeing an 'extremely shocking' incident and acted out of 'misplaced loyalty' towards her then boyfriend, Gough.
She bitterly regretted her behaviour and claimed that she had tried to get Gough to stay at the scene but he refused to do so.
'She acknowledges that she didn't do herself any favours,' said Miss Baines. Johnson had a four-year-old daughter and she hoped to find work in the near future.
Judge Mark Bury said of the victim: 'The injuries that she received have been life-changing.
This has had a really serious impact on her life. She has had to endure frequent hospital appointments and stays in hospital.
'She has cancelled holidays. She has described this as a never-ending nightmare.
She has had to undergo regular physiotherapy.
Her life has never been as it was prior to this collision.'
Speaking after sentencing, PC Fiona Graham of Humberside Police said: 'Both Gough and Johnson demonstrated a complete disregard for the safety of the woman and other pedestrians that day.
'I still cannot comprehend that they actively decided to continue driving off at speed, even after striking the woman with such force she was thrown a significant distance into the air before hitting the ground.
'This was a truly shocking incident, and their reckless actions could have easily resulted in further casualties.
'It is purely a matter of luck that this incident did not result in a fatality.'
References
- ^ IWAN STONE (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Hull (www.dailymail.co.uk)