23-year-old Oliver Short faces a potential custodial sentence after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving following a double motorcycle crash between Niton and Chale back in the Summer.
It was on 17th July that Police were called to the A3055 Blackgang Road when 2 motorcycles collided, with 1 rider sustaining significant injuries that led to them being airlifted to Southampton General Hospital by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.
Appearing at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court on Tuesday (5th November), Short, of Tayberry Close in Newport, pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to causing serious injury by careless driving and driving without insurance.
Lauren McConnell, prosecuting, detailed to the court how the 2 vehicles came together and played dashcam footage which captured the moment of impact. Short was travelling uphill and turned right into the Viewpoint Car Park, directly into the path of an oncoming motorcycle travelling away from Niton, being ridden by Mr Derek Bruinsma.
Magistrates heard that Mr Bruinsma sustained a broken pelvis and fibular in the smash, as well as a large flesh wound. He spent more than 30 days in hospital, followed by a week in a care home for rehabilitation. He has still not fully recovered.
Defending, Oscar Vincent said that his client accepted that there was a momentary lapse in concentration, that was careless. Mr Vincent explained that Short was conducting a ‘lifesaver check’ over his shoulder just before making his manoeuvre – declared unsafe by the Crown Prosecution Service.
The case has been adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be compiled, with the matter due back before the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court on 17th January 2025.
Oliver Short has been handed an interim ban from driving in the meantime.
Something needs to be done the way Motorcyclists
ride along the Military Road.
There seems to be NO rules along this Road.
It’s 2024, where are speed Camera’s on the Island to
STOP speeding.
Speed cameras don’t stop people speeding, they catch people speeding – not the same thing. In this instance, the speed was not the issue, according to the report of the proceedings but rather the carelessness of the driving. Without a doubt, the standard of driving on the Island as a whole is parlous and not limited to the Military Road.
Do what Dorset are doing, implement 20mph
Zones.
Dorset have the right idea for Creating Road Safety.
Isle of Wight have no idea about making Roads
Safe!
Take a leaf out of Dorset’s book.
Like who will take any notice of that…
Omg you are so boring with your constant opinions on everything. It’s a perfectly safe road. It’s idiots like the motor cyclist that cause the accident. Nothing to do with the road
20mph zones in Dorset are located in urban areas – in towns and villages. The Military Road would not be deemed suitable for a 20mph zone even if this was Dorset. What is needed is better education and not just about speed but to improve the standards of driving across the spectrum.
Make it Twenty.. people still do 40-60,
Make it 40, people still do 60-80.
Whatever speed was here it was the Rider not paying attention turning across another lane while not paying attention… Just a shame the innocent biker came off worse. Fair play to the guilty party pleading that way. I bet he’s grateful it wasn’t something bigger coming.
I think it’s unreasonable that one rider is being blamed as it happened on a bend you can only see about 60 feet so if the biker traveling from Niton is @ 40mph he would have only been visible for 0.64 seconds a blink of an eye he should have stopped or gone round the obstruction ( the other bike) but people freeze up to hold one at fault for what is just unfortunate timing is not right at all