Driver jailed after Netherton crash leaves woman with severe injuries
Richard Cook was sentenced following a collision that left a mother requiring 24-hour care
A driver who broke a red light and caused a crash that left a woman with life-changing injuries has been sentenced to 40 months in prison.
The collision occurred near the crossroads of St Andrews Street and Church Road in Netherton on 6th August 2023.
Richard Cook's Mercedes collided with a Skoda driven by a mother in her 30s, causing it to flip into the air and land on another vehicle.
She sustained serious brain injuries, was in a coma for months, and spent all of 2024 in a brain rehabilitation unit.
Having since left the hospital, she now requires 24-hour care.
In a court statement, the victim's mother described the ongoing challenges, saying: "Times were, and are, still very challenging. She gets very distressed and overwhelmed with trying to accept her disabilities."
She added that the family is struggling to cope with the emotional toll, "constantly worrying" about the victim.
Cook, aged 43 from Weymouth, claimed that the traffic lights were not working, but it was determined that a red light was visible at the time of the crash.
He was travelling at 45mph in a 30mph zone when the accident occurred.
The driver of the vehicle struck by the Skoda was not seriously injured.
Cook admitted to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 17th June.
In addition to his prison sentence, he was banned from driving for six years and eight months.