Crash driver jailed after woman loses leg

Milosz Danisz Malkowski was in the wrong lane when the crash happened

A dangerous driver has been jailed for causing a head-on crash that left a woman with injuries so severe she lost a leg.

Milosz Danisz Malkowski, 34, was attempting to overtake a car and coach when he ploughed into a Volkswagen driven by Sharon Odell on the A170 near Thornton-le-Dale, on 17 April last year.

Mrs Odell, 55, from Pickering, was in a coma for two and a half weeks and required an amputation and other operations, , North Yorkshire Police said.

Malkowski, from Cayton, near Scarborough, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison during a hearing at York Crown Court on 25 July.

He was also banned from driving for two years and nine months and will be required to pass an extended test.

Malkowski was travelling in a Volkswagen Passat towards Pickering when he moved in to the opposite lane to overtake and hit Mrs Odell's car, despite her attempting to avoid him, police said.

She was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition, while Malkowski also suffered serious injuries.

'Big impact'

In a statement read out to the court, Mrs Odell said she could not begin to comprehend how her loved ones felt while she was in a coma.

"All of this has not only affected me, but it has also had a big impact on everyone around me, my immediate family, work colleagues and the children I work with at school," she said.

"I am not able to do the things I enjoy most, like country walks with my family.

"I also feel that I can't do my job to my full ability, like playing games like football and dodgeball with the children."

PC Isaac Carter, a traffic officer, said the case highlighted the "unnecessary nature of the overtake" and how split-second decisions could have "a life-long impact".

"Nothing will ever make up for the dreadful, life-changing injuries Mrs Odell suffered that day and the difficulties it continues to have on her day-to-day life," he said.

"I just hope the outcome at court provides some measure of comfort to her and her family."

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