A driver was jailed for hitting a pregnant woman who was badly hurt. He left the scene in Bedlington.
The woman was 25 weeks pregnant. Her skull was fractured, and she suffered brain bleeding as well as a broken collarbone. Her lung was bruised, and she had hip pain. She stayed in the hospital for over a week, and she still has problems a year later.
The incident occurred around 9:45 p.m. on Front Street in Bedlington. The woman had parked nearby and walked to meet her husband and friends. She remembers waking up in the hospital.
A witness heard a crash and the sound of a car speeding away. This witness then saw the woman in the road, bleeding from her head. Another witness said the car sped up after hitting her.
Martin was charged with causing serious injury. He admitted to careless driving because he felt distracted. Martin left the scene but turned himself in the next day. He said he bought the car recently and admitted to having no license or insurance.
Martin said he drove to Bedlington. As he turned at a junction, he hit the woman, saying he didn’t see her. He knew he hit her and drove off, calling himself an idiot.
The woman lost her sense of taste and smell, and her hearing decreased because of her injuries. She now relies on her husband and parents, feeling anxious in cars, especially near crossings. Her injuries caused her to lose her license, making her feel like she lost her freedom.
She worried about how her kids could have lost their mom, and her husband could have been widowed. She sometimes freezes near roads, and her kids help her cross. She has fainted several times, scaring them. She attends anxiety counseling and cannot work full time because headaches bother her constantly, making daily tasks feel hard.
She delivered her baby at 37 weeks and needed to be induced. Her labor lasted four days, and despite the difficulties, her child is healthy.
Martin had 27 past convictions, including driving offenses. He admitted to causing serious injury, fleeing, and driving without a license or insurance. He was jailed for ten months and cannot drive for three years and five months.
The judge felt the driving caused lasting harm and was appalling. The judge determined that only jail time seemed right.
His lawyer said the incident details are unclear, and only the defendant knows exactly what occurred. Martin claimed he wasn’t speeding. He felt distracted and should not have driven the car at all and said he would never drive again.
