Deborah Davies Was Left Without A Section Of Her Skull After She Was “Swept” Off The Pavement By Bus

The husband of a woman left severely brain injured after she was hit by a bus which mounted the pavement she was walking along has spoken of his dismay after the careless driver walked free from court yesterday (March 9) with a £175 fine and six-month driving ban.

Steve Davies witnessed the horrific moment wife of 39 years, Deborah, was “swept” off the pavement as the couple and their four-year-old granddaughter walked to their local estate agents on Church Street, Stourbridge, on May 20 last year to complete the purchase of their new home.

Deborah, at the time an active 55-year-old grandmother-of-four, was left catastrophically brain injured, needing part of her skull replaced with a metal plate. She is now entirely dependent on her husband and family and is not left alone.

Steve, 58, instructed expert serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the collision and secure his wife funding to pay for the extensive rehabilitation and support she needs.

Irwin Mitchell secured Deborah, now 56, a five-figure interim payment from the insurers of West Midlands bus company Diamond Ltd, to fund the cost of her immediate care and support needs but her prognosis means the couple may need to move from their new home in favour of an adapted house.

Today, bus driver Surjeet Singh Pal, 57, from Waterside Close, Wolverhampton appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court yesterday where he was fined £175 for careless driving and banned from driving for six months after which he must reapply to the DVLA for his licence.

It is understood that Singh Pal was driving towards a bend in the road when he inexplicably mounted the pavement.

Causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving currently carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment but there is no provision in law for the offence of causing serious injury by careless driving, regardless of whether the victim’s quality of life has been severely diminished.

Devoted Grandmother Deborah can no longer care for her now five grandchildren, regularly visit close friends or walk her miniature schnauzer, Archie, as she did before her devastating injuries.

Steve said: “Deborah has gone from being a vibrant and vivacious young grandmother to being solely dependent on me and our family.

“Last year we were moments away from a new home and were looking forward to a very happy rest of our lives together surrounded by our grandchildren. Now Deborah is merely existing. She has such a poor quality of life compared to the one she planned for and we built together. She is living a life sentence while the man who did this to her can put everything behind him and continue living his life.

“I am disgusted and dismayed that there is no provision in law to adequately reflect the catastrophic, irrevocable damage this incident has done, both to Deborah physically and to our lives as a family.”

Magistrates’ hands are tied because sentencing powers of the courts are limited to a fine for a single summary offence of careless driving. There are currently no sentencing guidelines for causing serious injury by careless driving.

Deborah sustained a severe brain injury as a result of the crash, leading to a clot on the brain requiring life-saving surgery and extensive rehabilitation.

She has also suffered a broken neck, fractured cheek, broken ribs and a punctured lung. She was, initially, treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham where she was placed into an induced coma for about a week because of the severity of her injuries.

She returned home in October 2016 while she awaited a craniotomy to replace the missing part of her skull with a metal plate.

Expert Opinion

“Five months after the accident which almost claimed her life, Deborah was allowed to return home but only if she wore a padded helmet to protect her fragile skull.

“Every day remains a struggle for her. And her life now will be constantly punctuated by hospital appointments, therapy, carers and rehabilitation. The driver’s sentence does not reflect the severity of what happened and it is easy to see why Steve and his family are so dismayed that the punishment simply does not fit the crime.

“While the sentence ultimately can’t do anything to change what has happened to Deborah, Steve and his family feel that it also does nothing to encourage drivers to exercise greater caution behind the wheel. He hopes that releasing photos of Deborah before and after the crash will instead serve as a warning to drivers that their actions can have catastrophic consequences.” Rebecca Hearsey - Senior Associate Solicitor

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