A mum-of-two has been found guilty of dangerous driving after hitting a four-year-old girl with her car and breaking her leg. The crash took place at a zebra crossing on Jubilee Way South in Mansfield on May 29, 2021.
Joy Ogley, 56, of Mayfair Avenue in Mansfield, was on her way home after working an early morning shift at Tesco when the crash happened at around 2pm. She had picked up some groceries and then embarked on the short journey back before she was due to pick up her 18-year-old son from college later that day, the court was told.
The court heard that two children went to cross the road with their carer behind them, not holding their hand, meaning they ran out into the road. The carer went to grab one of them but the other, a four-year-old girl who was waving to someone, collided with Ogley's Ford KA and suffered a broken right leg.
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At Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, July 19, Ogley was found guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving. She received a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and was disqualified from driving for two years. She will also have to pay total costs of £213.
She said: "I thought I had plenty of time when I crossed the crossing - I didn't see the children at all. It was only when I went over and heard a thud and thought 'what was that' and I stopped immediately.
"My eyes were looking in front of me and nobody was in front of me at the crossing.
"I made a bad decision - I'm not a dangerous driver. I made a mistake and I am really, deeply sorry." She added that she believes it is a bad crossing for drivers to navigate.
After the crash, Ogley and others helped the girl to the side of the road and she even went to get her a juice - then pulling into a nearby car park to clear the road up for other drivers, the court heard.
The court was shown dashcam footage from another driver coming from the opposite direction who stopped at the crossing when they saw the children.
In mitigation, an argument was made that Ogley's driving was careless and that the responsibility should have rested on the carer to make sure the children were safe and under their control.
The Magistrate told Ogley: "This accident caused serious injury to the child involved. This was a very serious situation and this is the best solution we have - the remorse you have shown is important and it is clear you have been trying your hardest to do things properly. This is very important. But this was a serious accident."
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