Driver who left mum critically injured after running her over while messaging about his pasta bake dinner on WhatsApp jailed for two years
Thomas Worthington, 40, was discussing having pasta bake when he ploughed into Emma Pryor who was on a zebra crossing with her dog.
The 42-year-old mum-of-one was hurled nearly 10ft into the air and was left with multiple fracturs and a bleed on the brain.
Worthington stopped his Nissan Figaro after the crash on Windermere Drive, Warndon, Worcester, at around 5pm on February 7 last year.
Worthington dialled 999 and paramedics rushed Miss Pryor to hospital where she spent three months recovering from her injuries.
Worthington's driving licence stated he needed glasses but he did not have them on and was not wearing contact lenses at the time of the crash.
There were also a series of incoming WhatsApp messages, the last of which was read at 5.11pm, just three seconds before the collision.
Worthington, of Worcester, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was jailed for two years on Friday.
Sentencing Worthington at Worcester Crown Court, Judge James Burbidge KC said Miss Pryor almost lost her life because Worthington was looking at his WhatsApp message when he should have been focussing on the road.
The judge added: 'The conversation was about supper that night.
'You were concerned about what you were having for dinner when you got home.
'You were going to have a pasta bake for your meal that night.
'You were wholly inattentive to the driving which should have been the forefront of your mind.'
He said the cause of the collision was inattentiveness, using a mobile phone and not wearing glasses or contact lenses as an aid which meant Worthington could not see properly.
The court heard Miss Pryor suffered memory loss as a result of the crash which Worthington tried to blame on her.
Prosecutor Lizzie Banahan said: 'The defendant informed the officers at the time that Miss Pryor had come 'out of nowhere'.
'The defendant was using his mobile phone at the time of the collision.
'Miss Pryor suffered life threatening injuries and was taken to the QE hospital.
'While in hospital she was unable to remember the last five years of her life.
'When her son came to visit her in hospital, she was really shocked that he was not four.'
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Miss Pryor described how the crash had ruined her life.
She said that she has gone from being the carer of her nine-year-old son, enjoying dog walking, running and having fun with family and friends to being unable to go out alone.
The court heard she suffers with PTSD, slurred speech and had completely lost her independence.
Belinda Ariss, defending, said: 'There's nothing I can say to make this case easier or better for anyone.
'He dialled 999, he had not been drinking and this is not a man that takes drugs.
'Mr Worthington has his eyes tested every two years and doesn't wear glasses in daily life, only for driving. He's not wearing glasses today.'
Worthington was also banned from driving for five years.
Detective Constable Paul Pickering, of West Mercia Police's serious collision investigation unit, said: 'I am pleased with the sentence given to Worthington and I hope this is a clear message to all road users that the upmost care and consideration should be used whilst on our roads.'
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