Long Eaton: Man jailed for injuring pedestrian, 78, with car

Neil Dean's driving was described as "incredibly dangerous" by police

A man who left a woman with such severe injuries she was "wishing she had died" has been jailed for two years and four months.

Derbyshire Police said Neil Dean hit the 78-year-old woman with his car as she tried to cross Fields Farm Road in Long Eaton on 4 March 2021.

The 37-year-old, of Laurel Crescent in Long Eaton, was found guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday.

Dean was also handed a three-year driving ban and must take an extended re-test before being allowed back behind the wheel.

'Worse than cancer'

Police said the victim suffered a fractured skull, two broken legs, and fractures to her jaw, wrist and a thumb.

She was treated at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham for more than a month before being released, and three years on is still yet to fully recover.

"I have had cancer, and it wasn't as bad as this," she told police.

"This incident seems to have finished my life for me because I can't do the things I want to do any more."

Police said Dean was driving at nearly 60mph at the time of the crash, with witnesses saying his driving had been erratic beforehand.

His car was found to have faulty brakes, which meant when he attempted to stop after seeing the woman cross the road, the vehicle skidded.

PC Joshua Lowe, who led the investigation, said: "The fault with the car would have been obvious when driving off and not least because of the warning light that illuminated.

"For him to drive at almost 60mph on a 40mph road in a defective car was not only irresponsible, but it was also incredibly dangerous."