Langtoft driver spared jail after causing crash on A1175 Market Deeping bypass

A Mercedes driver who caused a crash on the Market Deeping bypass when she pulled out from a side road has been spared jail.

Amanda Bunning, 59, from Langtoft, admitted causing serious injury to another motorist when she pulled out from Cross Road into the path of an oncoming Kia electric car.

The collision happened on the A1175 at about 6.15pm on December 9 2022.

Lincoln Crown Court was told that Nicholas Avery, the driver of Kia, was travelling towards Spalding with his daughter in the front passenger seat.

The force of the collision caused the Kia to turn upside down into a water filled ditch.

Mr Avery was taken to hospital and treated for a fractured right wrist and nerve damage to his face.

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His daughter escaped with whiplash but suffered some psychological impact as she was learning to drive.

In his victim impact statement, Mr Avery explained that the collision had a "profound affect" on him.

He described suffering mobility issues for two months, hearing loss in one ear and nerve damage which left others believing he had suffered a stroke.

Bunning, of Outgang Road, admitted a charge of causing serious injury by careless driving in a Mercedes S300L.

Chris Jeyes, mitigating for Bunning, said the references gathered on her behalf were "extremely powerful."

Mr Jeyes described Bunning as a "decent and always law abiding individual" who had suffered the punishment of losing her good name.

The court heard Bunning was also seriously injured in the collision and spent ten days in hospital.

Passing sentence Judge Simon Hirst said he accepted Mrs Bunning had not set out that day to cause any injuries.

But Judge Hirst told Bunning: "Emerging onto a 60mph road when you haven't satisfied yourself that there is something coming is plainly an unsafe manoeuvre."

Judge Hirst said the matter was aggravated by the fact that she had blamed Mr Avery for some time, but this was balanced by her previous good character and the fact she was obviously a "well respected" woman in her community.

Taken alongside her guilty plea, Judge Hirst told Bunning this meant he could suspend a five month jail sentence for 12 months.

Bunning was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay £1,500 court costs.