(Image: NQ)
A man seriously injured two drivers when he failed to stop for stationary traffic on a major North Yorkshire road, York magistrates heard.
Troy Owen, 46, ploughed into the back of one vehicle shunting it across the road into a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction, said Louise Berry, prosecuting.
The driver of the first vehicle had stopped on the A19 near Eggborough behind a tractor cutting a hedge and could not overtake it because of traffic coming the other way.
“He has then seen in his rear mirror the defendant approaching and not slowing down,” said Ms Berry. “He knew he was going to be hit and there was nothing he was able to do about it.”
The driver of the first vehicle was in hospital for nine days with multiple broken bones and the driver of the second vehicle suffered a fractured sternum and other injuries, said the prosecutor.
Owen, 46, of Sherburn Street, Cawood, pleaded guilty to two charges of causing serious injury by careless driving on the A19 on November 26, 2024.
Duty solicitor Shawn Cooper, for Owen, said the sun was very low and “he simply didn’t see the stationary traffic. He is extremely remorseful for it.”
As a self-employed farrier Owen needed to be able to drive so would be unable to work if he was banned from driving.
Magistrates banned Owen for 12 months. After a probation officer told them because of Owen’s child care commitments the service would be unable to arrange unpaid work for him, magistrates fined him £1,536 and ordered him to pay a £614 statutory surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.
They heard Owen had no previous convictions.