Yahoo News Shiremoor driver left woman with broken leg after ploughing into her outside pub
An uninsured driver left a woman with a broken leg after she lost control of a car and ploughed into her outside a pub.
Sharon Powell had agreed to park a friend's vehicle in front of the Waterford Pub, in Seaton Sluice, but struggled to get it into a bay. A court heard that the 63-year-old then lunged forward and careered through a metal barrier and struck a woman, who'd been sitting at a picnic bench enjoying a cup of tea.
CCTV footage shows the victim shouting in agony as her leg is crushed between the Skoda Kamiq and the barriers as shocked passers-by run to her aid and try and push the vehicle away. The woman was taken to hospital, where an X-ray confirmed she'd broken her left leg.
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Retired air stewardess and florist Powell, of Bywell Grove, in Shiremoor, appeared at South East Northumberland Magistrates' Court this week to plead guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving and driving with no insurance. Bushra Begum, prosecuting, said Powell turned up to the Waterford Arms as a passenger in her friend's car on June 17.
However, the pair decided to swap seats and Powell got into the driver's seat. CCTV footage then shows her struggle to drive the vehicle into a bay before she loses control and ploughs through a metal barrier.
Ms Begum added: "The vehicle goes through the metal barriers and collides with the victim, who was sat on a bench outside the pub. As a result, the victim sustained a serious injury, which was essentially a broken leg.
"The injured party's legs were crushed between the vehicle, the barriers and the bench. She's there for a short period of time while attempts are made to free her." The court heard that passers-by were eventually able to push the car away from the victim.
In a statement, the woman said: "This has changed my day-to-day life as I can't do my usual activities, which include going to see my family. It's very painful and I can't walk without aid."
Matthew Purves, defending, said it was "difficult to describe how unfortunate the incident was". He said Powell, who has no past convictions, had rarely left the house since the death of her mother earlier this year but had agreed to go for lunch with her friend.
Mr Purves continued: "Her friend was not happy with how she'd parked and positioned the car and asked Mrs Powell for help in straightening it up and parking it. For what was less than 10ft forwards and the backwards, she's jumped into the driver's seat and moved the vehicle.
"It was a bit jerky. It was an electric, automatic vehicle, which she was not used to driving. She's ended up going forward through the barrier."
Powell was fined a total of £320 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £128 victim surcharge. She was also banned from the roads for 12 months.
