Driver in court following collision with motorcyclist (From Craven Herald)

Driver in court following collision with motorcyclist

8:00am Thursday 24th January 2013 in News

A 19-year-old driver who caused “catastrophic injuries” to a motorcyclist when he pulled out in front of him on the A65 at Giggleswick has been banned from driving for six months.

Matthew Phillip was driving to work in Austwick when he pulled out at the “difficult” off-set junction at the Craven Arms pub and hit the oncoming motorcyclist, Skipton magistrates heard on Friday.

The motorcyclist, a married paramedic with five children, hit the driver’s car door and was thrown over the vehicle into the road.

The court heard that the motorcyclist had been paralysed from the waist down as a result of the accident and remained in hospital more than four months later.

Phillip, who admitted careless driving, had been devastated by the accident, which happened at 7.15am on September 13, the court was told.

In mitigation, John Mewies said Phillip, of Market Place, Settle, used the road every day and there had been no suggestion he had been driving recklessly beforehand.

Mr Mewies added that a witness, who had been waiting to pull out onto the road from the opposite junction on the A65, had described suddenly seeing the motorcyclist and estimated he had been travelling at between 50mph and 60mph.

The driver of the other car had expressed surprise that Phillip had not seen the motorcycle as it had all three headlights on at the time.

“He said he couldn’t understand how he (Phillip) had not seen him as the three headlights were very bright.” said Mr Mewies.

“He emphasised that the driver had little or no chance of avoiding the bike, having taken the dreadful decision to pull out,”

Mr Mewies said that the speed the motorcyclist had been travelling at at the time could have been a contributing factor to the accident, but it was a lapse of concentration on Phillip’s part that had had resulted in very serious consequences for the motorcyclist.

He said there were also serious consequences for Phillip, who was well thought-of by his farmer employer.

Mr Mewies said the defendant would live with the accident for the rest of his life.

“It was a lapse of concentration with significant and very serious consequences for the motorcyclist,” said Mr Mewies.

He said Phillip had been driving for a year and had a clean licence.

He had also been slightly injured in the accident and had fully co-operated with the police from the start.

Phillip was banned from driving for six months, fined £250 and was ordered to pay costs of £45 and a victims surcharge of £15.

Magistrates told him he would also have to re-take his driving test following the end of his ban.