A cyclist who was seriously injured by a red-light jumping motorist has authorised police to release CCTV footage of the shocking incident after the driver involved was jailed last week.
As we reported last Thursday, Jason Handley initially told the cyclist, “It’s your fault, you did it to yourself,” but later admitted the collision in Walsall last July was entirely his fault after being shown the footage.
Handley, aged 31 and from Walsall was driving his Mercedes CLA at 54mph on Walsall Road in Willenhall at the time, which is restricted to buses only, and shot through a red light before crashing into the cyclist, who is shown being thrown in the air by the impact.
He stopped but then drove off once he realised the extent of the 24-year-old victim’s injuries, and was subsequently arrested and interviewed by police in August last year.
Last week he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was jailed at Wolverhampton Crown Court last week for 21 months and banned from driving for five years.
DC Karl Davies from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “This is a clear example of the devastation that can be caused when drivers who think they are above the law, flout the rules at any expense.
“The cyclist has still got mobility issues as a result of Handley’s careless actions and the trauma of the day stays with him.
“There are special zones for buses and access for a reason and aside from the fact he was found to be speeding, something even more serious could have happened,” he added.