Victim hits out at dangerous driver as he is jailed for two years

A woman who suffered horrific head and face injuries after a driver mounted a pavement and hit a road sign sending it crashing down onto her head delivered damning condemnation to him as he sent to prison for two years.

Daniel Gardner, 32, appeared for sentencing at Bolton Crown Court after he was found guilty by a jury of causing serious injury by dangerous driving last month.

At his trial Gardner, of Moorfield Grove, Bolton, had claimed three men from flatbed truck were chasing him after he had clipped the wing mirror of their vehicle with his Renault Trafic he was driving before using the pavement in a bid to escape on January 15, 2020.

But evidence from two passengers in the lorry indicated that Gardner, a father, had refused to stop after the collision and they were following him to try to get his insurance details.

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As the van drove up Wellington Street and reached the junction with Albert Road, Farnworth, Bolton, its way was blocked by other vehicles.

CCTV footage showed the van mounting the pavement and hitting a car in front as it squeezed between the vehicle and a shop wall.

Gardner continued driving around a blind corner on the pavement, striking a road sign at the junction, which fell on top of a pedestrian, 39-year-old Louise Owen.

Gardner did not stop his van then, even though the collision with the traffic sign deflated on of his front tyres, driving on for about half a mile before abandoning the van.

Some 45 minutes after the collision, police found the vehicle in Presto Street.

The van was traced Gardner, who at 6pm called police to claim he had been threatened by the men in the truck, alleging one of them had a knife, and he had driven off to avoid them.

Judge Walsh said the CCTV footage had shown this was not the case.

Louise was later found to have multiple fractures to her face and skull as well as a bleed on the brain.

In a victim personal statement read out by Louise from the witness box to Judge Martin Walsh before he jailed Gardner, she said she had no recollection of the collision.

She said her two children, aged 18 and four, witnessed what happened. Louise said: “I find it difficult to piece together what they saw and how they felt to see their mother lying injured on the ground in such a horrific way.

“I know it must’ve terrified them. Part of me knows I couldn’t comfort them. I was powerless to look after my children at a time when they needed me most.

“For my two children, it’s something they should never have had to witness. It has now been over a year and my youngest child has regular nightmares resulting in him crying.

“The only way I can get him back to sleep is to have him in bed with me as he is terrified to be away from my side.” She said the family were receiving counselling.

She sent on: “My husband runs his own business. I used to do the accounts, but due to memory issues, I can’t do them anymore.

“Before the collision I had an active social life, but I now shy away from social interactions. The injuries I sustained caused me to suffer memory loss that is now permanent and I often forget simple things. My life has descended into constant visits to hospital sometimes three times a week.

“I have weakness in the whole of my left side. My nose was badly broken and I am unable to breathe properly through my nose and need surgery to correct this. I can no longer taste or smell. I have had extensive surgery to my head and face to correct the damage the collision has caused .

“I’ve been told by the doctors I will live in pain for the rest of my life.

“I want him (Gardner) from my family to know you have given us a life sentence and you have failed to show any remorse for what you have done. I only have one small thing to say to you directly. While you were running away caring only about yourself, I was lying on the concrete while my children watched, terrified their mother had been killed.”

Mark Friend, defending Gardner, said: “None of what I say should be taken as undermining or trivialising the trauming nad profound consequences for Louise Owen.

“Mr Gardner has reiterated his distress and regret about the injuries this driving offence has caused Louise Owen,” he said.

Sentencing Gardner to two years in prison and banning him from driving for five years, Judge Walsh said of the knife claim: “Your assertions in this regard were an attempt to evade culpability for this offence. You had nine penalty points on your licence and you drove in a manner which presented a substantial risk and danger to the public.

“The offence is further aggravated by the fact you failed to stop even though you collided with another car. Having regard to your conscious decision to drive the say you did, only a sentence of immediate imprisonment can be justified.”