‘The driver who hit me got the same ticket he would have if he had used his phone,’ Stafford crash victim says

Dean Fellows had to have his left leg amputated below the knee after he was hit by a car on Burnhill Green Road near Patshull Park on April 30, 2022. Midlands Air Ambulance Since he was seriously injured, both the first responder team and the helicopter intervened at the scene and saved his life.

The driver involved in the accident admitted that he was driving without due care and attention. Cannock Magistrates’ Court Fined £500 and given six penalty points on his licence, on 23 December 2022.

Dean, an IT engineer, was not only physically scarred by his ordeal, but also psychologically scarred; According to him, the punishment made this situation even worse.

Nationally Road Safety WeekThe 49-year-old is making his case. He said he would like to see a review of penalties that recognize the seriousness and consequences of driving offenses, taking into account the suffering of the victim.

Research carried out by law firm Slater and Gordon, which is supporting Dean in his civil case, shows more than 60 per cent of people agree there should be tougher penalties for traffic offenses.

Dean said: “Obviously the fact that I had the amputation was absolutely devastating, but what angered me more than anything was the penalty the car driver received – in many ways it was so difficult to make up for that penalty that it was my injury.

“I was hoping he would be disqualified at least for a while but what he actually got was far from that – he was given the same amount of points as if he had used his mobile phone while driving.”

“This in no way recognizes the impact of what has happened; I really want penalties to be reviewed and judges to apply this routinely. “There doesn’t seem to be any logic behind the sentences handed out at the moment, what the driver has done rarely seems to be acknowledged by the sentence he receives.”

The driver said the ‘yield’ signs at the junction were faded, which influenced the CPS’ decision not to pursue more serious charges against him.

Since the collision, Dean has struggled with ongoing pain and psychological problems and has also been forced to reduce his work to three days a week.

He was fitted with a prosthetic leg and had to switch to an automatic vehicle and reconfigure his mountain bike so he could go out.

He said: “I still get scared behind the wheel sometimes because of what happened to me. I used to love my motorcycle but I can’t imagine getting out again just yet and I’m extremely disappointed to find the limits of what I can do as a result of what has happened.

“My energy levels, my ability to exercise, my ability to go upstairs to my own house—none of those things are the same.”

Slater and Gordon helped make temporary payments to Dean to allow him to settle into his home and allow him to access rehabilitation and a range of therapies – a final package was recently agreed.

Richard Crabtree, the firm’s lead solicitor, said: “Whilst Dean has been able to benefit from rehabilitation and therapies that have supported his recovery and enabled him to begin rebuilding his life, the physical and psychological effects have been profound.

“Understandably, it has been difficult for him to cope with the sentence imposed on the driver. We will echo Dean’s call for a review of sentences for traffic offenses so that justice can be seen by survivors and they can feel that it has been done.”