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Jail for speeding hit-and-run driver who ploughed into cyclist

Shocking CCTV footage shows moment driver ignored red light and crashed into cyclist

Cyclist authorised release of footage to show the harm dangerous drivers can do
by Simon_MacMichael
Tue, Oct 01, 2019 19:10
11

A cyclist who was seriously injured by a red-light jumping motorist has authorised police to release CCTV footage of the shocking incident after the driver involved was jailed last week.

As we reported last Thursday, Jason Handley initially told the cyclist, "It's your fault, you did it to yourself," but later admitted the collision in Walsall last July was entirely his fault after being shown the footage.

Handley, aged 31 and from Walsall was driving his Mercedes CLA at 54mph on Walsall Road in Willenhall at the time, which is restricted to buses only, and shot through a red light before crashing into the cyclist, who is shown being thrown in the air by the impact.

He stopped but then drove off once he realised the extent of the 24-year-old victim’s injuries, and was subsequently arrested and interviewed by police in August last year.

Last week he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was jailed at Wolverhampton Crown Court last week for 21 months and banned from driving for five years.

DC Karl Davies from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “This is a clear example of the devastation that can be caused when drivers who think they are above the law, flout the rules at any expense.

“The cyclist has still got mobility issues as a result of Handley’s careless actions and the trauma of the day stays with him.

“There are special zones for buses and access for a reason and aside from the fact he was found to be speeding, something even more serious could have happened," he added.

West Midlands Police
causing serious injury through dangerous driving
Jason Handley
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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11 comments

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
1 like

Say it aint so aries.

(you also don't need to wear "a hat")

 

Avatar
boringbutton replied to ktache | 5 years ago
4 likes
ktache wrote:

Say it aint so aries.

(you also don't need to wear "a hat")

 

 

lol I like my cycling cap. 1

 

anyway, yea. Just no joy in it anymore. Will still frequent the site 

Avatar
boringbutton | 5 years ago
0 likes

I've hung up my cycling hat.

Road riding feels far too stressful for me to get any enjoyment out of it these days and I don't want to end up a stain on the road from someone else's dangerous driving. 
 

A full recovery I hope you can make, Mr Turner.

Maybe I'll see you on Zwift...

Avatar
burtthebike | 5 years ago
7 likes

So if it hadn't been for the video, the driver would have denied everything and probably got away with it, and he only pleaded guilty after seeing the vid.  Whatever credit he was given for pleading guilty should be removed at least.  The driving ban should be for twice as long as the victim takes to recover, but at least ten years.   It was only luck that he didn't kill the cyclist.

He clearly has no respect for the law or the safety of other people and we can only hope that he learns his lesson, but I've searched the reports of this incident, and I can't find anything which says he expressed remorse, only that he blamed the cyclist.

Avatar
brooksby | 5 years ago
3 likes

Twenty one months in jail (what's that - out after ten?) and a five year ban which he'll probably ignore anyway really doesn't seem appropriate, does it?

Avatar
zero_trooper replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
1 like
brooksby wrote:

Twenty one months in jail (what's that - out after ten?) and a five year ban which he'll probably ignore anyway really doesn't seem appropriate, does it?

By that logic you could ban him for life and ‘he’ll probably ignore anyway’. Just need an effective deterrent, so that he won’t chance getting caught.

You would like to think that HMP informs the local police of imminent releases and an address. 

On a slightly different note, nice to see that the WMP Serious Collision Investigation Unit are employing detectives.

 

Avatar
EM69 replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
1 like
brooksby wrote:

Twenty one months in jail (what's that - out after ten?) and a five year ban which he'll probably ignore anyway really doesn't seem appropriate, does it?

Agree, should have been a life ban.

Avatar
Pyro Tim | 5 years ago
6 likes

Bloody cyclist jumping red lights. Oh. Wait...

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
10 likes

But I thought that motorists, when licenced, insured, registered and paid "tax" all obeyed the laws and regulations associated with driving on the roads.

How can this be?

I do hope that Robert Turner can make as much of a recovery as possible.

Good luck getting back on the bike mate.

Avatar
don simon fbpe replied to ktache | 5 years ago
0 likes
ktache wrote:

But I thought that motorists, when licenced, insured, registered and paid "tax" all obeyed the laws and regulations associated with driving on the roads.

How can this be?

I do hope that Robert Turner can make as much of a recovery as possible.

Good luck getting back on the bike mate.

Because he wasn't wearing a helmet.

Heal well Robert.

Avatar
quiff | 5 years ago
2 likes

"The cyclist has still got mobility issues as a result of Handley’s careless actions"

Careless?! Well, at least now he's carless.

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