Unborn baby made driver crash into cyclist

[snibgo]

Well, that's what the driver claimed. Pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention. Fined £150, 3 points.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -baby.html

[eileithyia]

Well I'd thought I'd heard it all but.........

[mike_dowler]

Well, if that's true, we need a ban on pregnant women driving IMMEDIATELY. If that's the damage that can happen at 20 mph, imagine what would happen at 70 mph on a busy motorway.

[661-Pete]

Full text of the article:

Pregnant driver blames crash with elderly cyclist on her unborn baby KICKING HER
Rebecca Knowles-Dixon, 28, drove into cyclist Graham Walden, 74
Said in court a series of kicks from her unborn child made her swerve
Mr Walden was airlifted to hospital with fractured ribs following crash
By LIZZIE EDMONDS
PUBLISHED: 17:23, 13 December 2013 | UPDATED: 19:09, 13 December 2013
35 shares 23 View
comments
Crash: Rebecca Knowles-Dixon, 28, (pictured) said kicks from her unborn child caused her to flinch and momentarily lose control
Crash: Rebecca Knowles-Dixon, 28, (pictured) said kicks from her unborn child caused her to flinch and momentarily lose control
A heavily-pregnant driver who crashed into an elderly cyclist blamed the accident on her unborn baby kicking her.
Mother-to-be Rebecca Knowles-Dixon, 28, lost control of her car and drove into Graham Walden, 74, on a county road near Ashburton, Devon.
The pensioner was thrown 'some distance' from his bike and suffered serious chest and head injuries in the crash on September 6.
Appearing at Torquay Magistrates Court, Knowles-Dixon appeared blamed the crash on her unborn child.
She said a series of 'painful' kicks caused her to flinch behind the wheel and swerve in front of the pensioner.
Knowles-Dixon, of Waterleat, Devon, admitted driving without due care an attention at Torquay Magistrates Court.
Magistrates fined her £150 put three points on her driving license.
The court heard pregnant Knowles-Dixon was driving down a hill when she felt her baby kicking and swerved into a hedge.
The woman's Peugeot then ploughed into a hedge and veered into the path of the cyclist.
Her visibility was also poor because there was glare on her windscreen, the court heard.

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Mr Walden was thrown from his bike and suffered chest and head injuries in the crash.
He was airlifted to hospital with fractured ribs and breathing difficulties, but survived the incident in a 'windy, narrow country road'.
In court: The mother-to-be told Torquay Magistrates Court, pictured, the kicks were 'painful' and had 'never happened before'
In court: The mother-to-be told Torquay Magistrates Court, pictured, the kicks were 'painful' and had 'never happened before'
Prosecutor Chris Bittlestone said speed was not a factor in the crash because Knowles-Dixon was only doing 20mph.
She said she relied on her car to do festival work and losing it would cause her 'exceptional hardship'.
She also insisted that she always tried to drive as safely as possible.
'The baby kicked me in the ribs several times and very hard'

Rebecca Knowles-Dixon
She told the court: 'I was heavily pregnant at the time when the baby kicked me in the ribs several times and very hard.
'This made me flinch and caused me to have a momentary lapse in concentration.
'I could not have predicted what happened. It’s never happened to me before. It’s really quite painful.'
She told magistrates she had passed her driving test less than two years earlier and needed her car to take her baby to hospital to have an operation.
Knowles-Dixon, who represented herself, said she lived two miles from the nearest bus stop.

Only three points?

And she relies on her car and losing it would cause "exceptional hardship"? How much 'hardship' would the cyclist or his family have suffered, if he'd been killed or permanently disabled?

Same old story...

[sjs]

Only three points?

And she relies on her car and losing it would cause "exceptional hardship"? How much 'hardship' would the cyclist or his family have suffered, if he'd been killed or permanently disabled?

Same old story...

But generally quite sensible comments under the story, for a change.

[snibgo]

Looking at the Magistrates’ Court Sentencing Guidelines, 3 points is the absolute minimum sentence for careless driving, "Momentary lapse of concentration or misjudgement at low speed". I suppose the fine was band A, 50% of net weekly income, less a third for the guilty plea.

The magistrates seem to have ignored one of the "Factors indicating greater degree of harm", which is "Injury to others".

And why wasn't she charged with "dangerous driving"? IMHO when driving injures someone else, the driving must have been dangerous, in the ordinary sense of the word. Sadly, the law doesn't say that.

[meic]

Just think what that baby is going to be like when it grows up and has a car of its own!!!!!!

Many people like epileptics are taken off the road in case something like this happens, without a chance to prove themselves roadworthy or not. This woman has proven herself as un-roadworthy, yet is allowed to continue driving.

I dont think that the Judge has it in his powers to impose a ban lasting until she gives birth but that would be a reasonable safety measure.

[reohn2]

You couldn't make it up .




Well you could actually,and she did!

You've got to ask the simple question,why didn't she stop if the baby was kicking so painfully?

[TonyR]

Well if I ever hit a cyclist with my car I now know to blame it on a sharp bout of wind. I wonder how her kid will get on as it grows up knowing that it caused someone to be seriously injured and that its mother was willing to put that burden on it to save her license?

[Tonyf33]

If she 'flinched' and still managed to knock the cyclist down then either she was too close in the first place or hadn't full and proper control of her vehicle in the first place..or likely it was both..
Given the GBH prison sentence handed out recently to the cyclist whom badly injured a child without intent, how is this much different, no intent absolutely but her actions have seriously injured an elderly person...baby kicks my butt cheeks

Given the very real probability of this happening again it is now time to ban ALL pregnant women that are over 6 months into the gestation period from driving

[bazzo]

Also blinded by glare from the windscreen. Hope the elderly gentleman cyclist, makes a full recovery. He will probably stop riding now absolutely ridiculous punishment.

[Postboxer]

I hope they asked her in court how she got home from the accident scene and whether she'd driven again before the birth. If she can't react to brake when kicked in the ribs she shouldn't be allowed to drive, ever.

[jezer]

I've heard of some pretty lame excuses from drivers, but this one is near the top of the list

[moik]

The prosecutor did not have a case against Rebecca and called it a 'knock on knock'. They did not rely on the police report or witness statements because these did not help the prosecution. She hit the bank on a narrow winding road and rebounded at a very low speed to the other side. The cyclist hit into her and flipped over the bonnet. There are many other factors in Rebecca's favour in this accident. Also she is slight and her baby big, in fact the baby is quite long. If Rebecca had lied and pleaded not-guilty she would most likely have got off. Why do you believe the press?

[sirmy]

Would "Rebecca's Baby" be a good title for a film?