Man jailed after causing serious injury by dangerous driving

A 51-year-old man has been sent to prison after a pedestrian was seriously injured in a road traffic collision on the A43 Corby bypass earlier this year.

Mark Smith of Woodford Road, Burton Latimer, appeared at Northampton Crown Court on Wednesday, October 26, where he was jailed for 18 months, disqualified from driving, and fined £156.

At an earlier court appearance in August, Smith pleaded guilty to one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving after he failed to stop at a pedestrian crossing, near to the junction known locally as the Eurohub roundabout.

The collision occurred at about 6pm on January 20 this year, when Smith’s red Mercedes AMG collided with a 23-year-old man as he crossed the southbound carriageway at the pedestrian crossing.

As a result of the impact, the pedestrian was taken to University Hospital Coventry where he received medical treatment for serious injuries, which included a head injury, bruised lungs, fractured clavicle, and dislocated ankle.

The court heard that prior to the collision, Smith was witnessed undertaking at the previous roundabout junction and pulled sharply in front of other vehicles before driving towards the A43 Corby bypass excess of the 40mph speed limit.

Smith stopped at the scene and spoke to police, however following an investigation by the Force’s Road Crime Team and Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU), he was subsequently charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Following sentencing, lead investigator, PC Nick Timms of the Road Crime Team, said: “I hope Smith is aware, that as result of his reckless use of the road, he was fortunate that his actions did not leave a family grieving for their loved one.

“I hope that the victim can take some solace from the sentence. This was a traumatic incident for a young man, which has caused him long-term issues which he has to live with on a day-to-day basis.”