Police officer seriously injured at hit and run scene by drug-driver 'will never forget' incident
Phil Jones, 39, was attending a crash involving a cyclist on Northway, Maghull, when he was hit by a Ford Kuga driven by Richard Ainscough, on 27 December 2023.
Ainscough, 62, drove "recklessly" through the road closure before crossing over the central reservation from the southbound to the northbound carriageway, striking Phil, who was standing at the scene.
Phil, from St Helens, suffered serious injuries, including an open fracture of the right elbow and a dislocated left shoulder.
He was taken to hospital where he spent the next two days, and is still recovering from his injuries 18 months later.
The police officer said the day of the incident is one he is "never likely to forget".
He said: "The last thing you expect to see when the road is closed is a vehicle approaching you. There was no time to react and I knew my injuries were serious as soon as the collision happened."He added: "The worry my family and I have been put through as a result of my injuries has been life changing.
"I'm still undergoing rehabilitation and while I'm still determined to recover physically, I'm not sure the emotional scars of such an incident can ever leave you."I went from being fit and healthy and doing a job I loved, to wondering what the future holds for me and our family.
"You have to come to terms with a new reality but the support I've received has been vital and encourages me every day towards that goal of making as strong a physical recovery as I can."I know things could have been much worse, but that is little consolation, when what you want most of all is your old life back."
Ainscough, from Whitburn, Skelmersdale, was arrested and later charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving whilst unfit through drugs and driving with eyesight which did not comply with requirements.
He was jailed for 28-month prison sentence and banned from driving for two years.
Detective Sergeant Christine Bennett from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit condemned Ainscough's actions, calling his driving "reckless" and stating that it was "only by sheer good luck" the officer wasn't killed.She added: "Our officers deal with violence and challenging situations on a daily basis, putting their own lives and personal safety on the line every day in order to keep us all safe."Merseyside Police will not tolerate poor driving or drivers who deliberately ignore the rules of the road, and we are committed to the prevention of serious injury and road death, to work towards Vision Zero – our strategy focused on driving down the amount of road traffic collisions in our regions and to lower the number of people killed and seriously injured on our streets. However, this is something that we must all do in partnership."Communities can also take a stand and help us to make the roads safer. The vast majority of road users across Merseyside are responsible and law abiding and we know how much you want to help us, so that we can ensure roads and shared spaces are used responsibly and that people abide by the laws we enforce."To that end, if you know of drivers who are breaking the law and thus putting others in danger, please tell us, so that we can take swift and robust action to prevent harm."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
34 minutes ago
- ITV News
Merseyside Police officer admits 'something had to change' after three fatal shootings in a week
Granada Reports' Zoe Muldoon spoke to Detective Chief Superintendent Graeme Robson, who leads Operation Evolve at Merseyside Police. A senior police officer has acknowledged "that something had to change" after an unprecedented year, which saw three fatal shootings in the space of a week. Merseyside Police was one of the first in the country to receive Home Office funding for a Clear, Hold, Build initiative – known as Evolve – following the deaths of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, nine, 28-year-old environmental health worker Ashley Dale and Sam Rimmer, 22, in August 2022. Three years on from its launch, the force says the scheme – now rolled out across four areas – has led to a 300% increase in community intelligence. It says it has resulted in: More than 5,300 arrests; The seizure of 630kg of Class A and B drugs; More than 260 offensive weapons and 28 firearms taken off the streets; and £2.5 million in cash and assets seized - which is being reinvested into communities. "That was an unprecedented time for the force," Detective Chief Superintendent Graeme Robson told ITV News. "You go back to the summer of 2022 and within a very short space of time, we lost Sam (Rimmer), Ashley (Dale) and Olivia (Pratt-Korbel) in just over a week. "The impact, certainly across the force, but across local communities, was significant. "We have a strong track record in Merseyside of tackling organised crime, but we all felt something had to change in 2022, and that was the catalyst for us launching Evolve." What is Evolve? The Merseyside Police initiative focuses on three areas: Clear - focuses on disrupting and removing criminality from local communities. Hold - looks to stabilise the local area and prevent the reemergence of criminality. Build - police and other partners work towards making communities safer, more robust and less vulnerable to organised crime. 'People feel safer' Detective Chief Superintendent Robson explained that the initiative is about more than just reducing crime. "We've seen some good statistical changes in those areas, but Evolve is bigger than that," he said. "It's about people's lives. "What communities are telling us in these areas is that they do feel safer and that they do feel as though things have changed for the better, that they are more confident in reporting information and intelligence to the police and other agencies and that they have the confidence that we will take action. "We have seen reductions in crime and anti-social behaviour, we've seen some real reductions in firearms discharges, in particular, and homicides as well. "But it's the quality of life that people say has changed significantly, and I think that's a real success story." The Evolve project was launched in Wirral following the death of Elle Edwards, 26, who was killed in a shooting outside a pub on Christmas Eve 2022. There are also projects running in Netherton and the Everton and Vauxhall areas. DCS Robson dismissed the suggestion that a rise in the number of crimes being reported was a short-term response to a flurry of crimes, rather than about long-term change. "We've invested heavily, not just from the force but from partner agencies, but the biggest part of this has been the community buy-in," he added. "This isn't something that the police have done in isolation; we've worked really hard to involve them, and when you look across the Evolve areas, we've had countless community action days, clean-ups, people really showing that they are taking pride in their local areas. "We are three years on from the summer of 2022, and we've seen a sustained reduction in some of the indicators that show that serious and organised crime are prevalent in the area." Despite lengthy prison sentences being handed to the men responsible for murdering Olivia Pratt-Korbel and Ashley Dale, so far, no one has been charged in relation to the deaths of Sam Rimmer and Ellis Cox. DCS Robson acknowledged that more work needs to be done to tackle the stigma around talking to police, despite some successes. "You sometimes hear people talk about a 'no grass culture' in Merseyside, and the reality is, particularly when tragic events happen, our community response is really strong," he explained. "We've had some invaluable help from communities that have helped us to solve some of these tragic murder investigations and give families the closure that they so desperately need. "That hasn't happened in every case, and that is something we are desperately trying to put right. "We understand that there will be people who will be scared about giving information, and they will be scared about the repercussions, but we also know that people have done that in some of our successful murder investigations and that has allowed us to put people before the courts and give families the justice they want. "But absolutely, we want this every time someone loses a life to criminality in Merseyside, whether that's for Sam's family or Ellis' family, or for any unsolved murder. "That's something we want to happen. "But our communities here have got a strong track record of supporting the police in response to these incidents, but we are keen that people have confidence in us to give us information either directly or through Crimestoppers - no matter how insignificant they think that information is. "One phone call could make a significant difference in one of our open investigations, and that is what we are keen that people are able to do." 'We're not complacent' DCS Robson said that the force won't be resting on its laurels. "We're not complacent, these issues haven't gone away, there will always be people who want to take advantage of vulnerable people in society and will look to profit from others' misery," he explained. "We know that it is going to be a constant challenge for police and partners, and that's why we are committed to Evolve for the long term.
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
Man arrested over alleged Semenyo abuse is banned from every football stadium
Antoine Semenyo reported the incident during the first Premier League game of the season against Liverpool on Friday. A 47-year-old man from Liverpool has been released on bail after he was arrested the following day on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence. As part of his bail conditions, he cannot attend any regulated football match in the UK, and is not allowed within a mile of any football stadium, Merseyside Police said. Last night at Anfield will stay with me forever – not because of one person's words, but because of how the entire football family stood from across the football world remind me why I love this sport. We keep moving forward, together. 🙏🏾⚽ — Antoine Semenyo (@AntoineSem14170) August 16, 2025 The force's investigation into the incident is ongoing. Match referee Anthony Taylor stopped play in the 29th minute and a fan was ejected from Anfield. Semenyo scored twice in the second half to help bring Bournemouth back from two goals down before Liverpool went on to eventually win 4-2. The following day, the 25-year-old Ghanaian international said on social media: 'Last night at Anfield will stay with me forever – not because of one person's words, but because of how the entire football family stood together.' He thanked his teammates, Liverpool players and fans 'who showed their true character', and the Premier League officials 'who handled it professionally'.
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Man arrested over alleged Semenyo abuse is banned from every football stadium
Antoine Semenyo reported the incident during the first Premier League game of the season against Liverpool on Friday. A 47-year-old man from Liverpool has been released on bail after he was arrested the following day on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence. As part of his bail conditions, he cannot attend any regulated football match in the UK, and is not allowed within a mile of any football stadium, Merseyside Police said. Last night at Anfield will stay with me forever – not because of one person's words, but because of how the entire football family stood from across the football world remind me why I love this sport. We keep moving forward, together. 🙏🏾⚽ — Antoine Semenyo (@AntoineSem14170) August 16, 2025 The force's investigation into the incident is ongoing. Match referee Anthony Taylor stopped play in the 29th minute and a fan was ejected from Anfield. Semenyo scored twice in the second half to help bring Bournemouth back from two goals down before Liverpool went on to eventually win 4-2. The following day, the 25-year-old Ghanaian international said on social media: 'Last night at Anfield will stay with me forever – not because of one person's words, but because of how the entire football family stood together.' He thanked his teammates, Liverpool players and fans 'who showed their true character', and the Premier League officials 'who handled it professionally'.
