Pedestrian on zebra crossing thrown 15ft into air by van
A PEDESTRIAN was knocked in to the air and thrown 15ft after she was hit by a van on a zebra crossing.
The woman suffered significant injuries and was in hospital for two months, including 10 days in Southampton.
The driver, Trevor Roussel, 56, of Bec-du-nez, Le Petit Bas Courtils, Route de Bas Courtils, St Saviour’s, admitted driving in a manner dangerous to the public at Les Bas Courtils Road, St Sampson’s, when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court, having initially denied the offence.
Prosecuting Advocate Marc Davies told the court how the accident happened at 7.25am in December 2020 when it was dark and raining.
The woman had got off a bus which had come from The Bridge and was crossing the road towards Elim Church. The Town-bound traffic on her side of the road had stopped to let her across. The defendant was coming in the opposite direction towards Bulwer Avenue and she believed she had time to cross.
She speeded her walk up slightly but recalled her feet being knocked above her head and landing face down on the pavement after the van struck her.
A witness who had been following the defendant was unable to say if the brake lights on his van had come on.
The woman’s right eye socket and cheek and both her wrists were broken. She had fractures to her tail bone and scapula and had teeth knocked out.
A police forensic examiner could find nothing mechanically wrong with the vehicle.
Roussel passed an eye test and it was established that he would have had 75m of clear vision to the zebra crossing. He told officers at the roadside that ‘she ‘wasn’t wearing one of those,’ and pointed to one of their hi-visibility jackets.
In interview he said he had not seen the woman until his van struck her but then said that he had tried to brake.
He acknowledged that the woman had right of way and said he had been talking with the passenger in his van.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said she was still suffering problems as a result of the accident. It had been two months before she could do simple things like hold a spoon or walk.
She could not sleep properly, was still having physiotherapy, and suffered panic attacks when she crossed the road.
The defendant had previous convictions, including one for drink-driving, and had completed only 30 hours of a community service order that was imposed two months before the accident.
Advocate Oliver Fattorini said his client was saddened to hear of the emotional and physical harm that the woman had suffered and he had written her a letter.
Judge Gary Perry said the letter was dated the day before this court appearance, although the accident happened 18 months ago. It suggested to him that the letter was more for the benefit of the defendant than the woman.
Advocate Fattorini said his client had suffered flashbacks and had thought about the incident everyday since it happened. There was no suggestion that he had been speeding.
His client had not completed the current CSO due to illness but could do so now. The probation officer acknowledged that his client had learning difficulties and had not been getting the support he required.
Judge Perry said that by virtue of his guilty plea, the defendant had accepted that his driving that day fell below the standard of a reasonable and competent driver.
This had been a short period of bad driving and not a long one.
His job was to sentence on that and not the tragic consequences that had seen a person’s life turned upside down.
Roussel was ordered to perform 80 hours of community service, consecutive to the one he has still to complete.
He was banned from driving for four years.
