Crash Occurred On City Road, Newcastle In May Last Year

The mother of a toddler who suffered life-changing injuries in a car crash in Newcastle, has said she hopes her daughter will now be able to focus on her rehabilitation after the driver responsible was sentenced after pleading guilty to causing the devastating crash.

The then 20 month old victim suffered a brain injury and serious spinal injury which left her paralysed from the waist down when the taxi she was a passenger in was crashed into by the Ford Fiesta driven by Peter Jolley. She is now confined to a wheelchair.

Following the accident, which happened on 20th May last year, the toddler was taken to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary for spinal surgery before eventually being discharged two months later.

Today, Jolley, 36 from Leeds, was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment at least half to be served in custody, then released on licence for a period of 12 months at Newcastle Crown Court after having previously pleaded guilty in March to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and careless driving. Jolley was also disqualified from driving for 3 years 1 month, extended test to be taken after this period.

The mother of the victim said: “It has been a tough time since the accident which left my daughter with life-changing injuries.

“She has shown so much strength that I am constantly in awe of her and so proud of her.

“She has received a significant amount of support and rehabilitation and is now making significant gains in her recovery. The police and hospital staff involved since the accident have been absolutely fantastic. I cannot praise them enough.

“She has a long road to recovery but I hope that with ongoing rehabilitation and assistance she will be able to live a full and happy life.

“I’m really relieved that the driver pleaded guilty. I feel that we can now put the accident behind us and move on with the rest of our lives.”

Expert serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have been instructed by the mother of the injured toddler and are working with Jolley’s Insurers to secure a rehabilitation package for the toddler to ensure that she receives support from a case manager, occupational therapist, physiotherapist and play therapist. An adapted home for the youngster and her family was also secured following her discharge from hospital.

Fran Mayes, an expert serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing the youngster, said: 

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“This little girl and her family have shown amazing bravery, they have been inspirational. She is making fantastic progress, but will now have lifelong needs for support and rehabilitation.

“We continue to work with the family to secure a settlement to fund her ongoing recovery and any additional support she needs as she adjusts to life with her disability.” Fran Mayes - Partner