A dangerous driver has left a pedestrian paralyzed and two others injured after crashing during a Flintshire car meeting. Kiera Ridler was driving about 65 mph on a 30 mph road when she hit another car before her vehicle sped off and hit pedestrian Christopher Rakestraw.
Mr Rakestraw’s injuries were so severe that he lost the use of all four limbs and is now cared for 24 hours a day by six carers. The expert said the 36-year-old Ridler would have been going between 50 and 115 mph, but her most likely speed was an estimated 65 mph.
The judge at Mold Crown Court noted that Ridler had a 15-month-old child but said he could not suspend her 20-month prison sentence. The court heard the car crash took place at the Manor Industrial Estate in Flint on September 19, 2021.
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Ridler, of Hampson Avenue, Wrexham, took part knowing that there would be speeding enthusiasts who would behave illegally and brag about it. Ridler and others weren’t racing themselves, but were chasing the worst of these riders.
She was repeatedly going “far, far in excess of the speed limit” on the 30mph road, His Honor Judge Niclas Parry said. Ridler was seen speeding up and down the road for about an hour and a quarter before she crashed.
Her first victim – Ellie Blower – saw a near miss at a T-junction, sensed that “the situation was dangerous” and decided to drive away. Ms Blower tried to slowly exit the T-junction, from which she had limited visibility and which she “shouldn’t have exited”, the judge said.
Ms. Blower and defendant Ridler collided with defendant driving between 50 and 60 mph. Ms Blower suffered injuries including a broken ankle and wrist.
She spent two and a half weeks in the hospital. Eight months later, she was unable to bear weight without pain. After nine months, she had only 50 percent use of her ankle.
Ridler’s car also hit pedestrian Mr Rakestraw, then aged 23, now 26. His injuries were so severe he lost the function of all four limbs, the court heard.
He spent 12 months in hospital, lives in a converted bungalow and is cared for 24 hours a day by six carers. It is likely that he will remain confined to a bed or wheelchair.
Ridler’s own passenger also suffered a broken wrist in the crash, while Ridler herself suffered a displaced collarbone fracture. The judge told her today: “You made a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road and disregard the danger to others. That’s why you were at this planned event.”
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He noted that Ridler gave the “ridiculous” excuse that she was “looking for a place to park” during the incident, although she later pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Richard Dawson, defending, said it was regrettable and added: “But if (Mrs Blower) had been on the road this tragic accident would not have happened.”
He said the impact of their mother being sent to prison on his client’s child would be “profound”. He urged the court to back off from imposing an immediate prison sentence.
Nevertheless, the judge gave Ridler 20 months in prison on one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, with no separate sentence for the second count. He said: “The public and those directly affected by this tragic case should understand, and I’m sure they will, that any sentence I hand down will not reflect the seriousness and hurt caused by some of the horrific consequences of these events.”
“There are cases where an appropriate sentence can only be achieved by immediate custody.” The defendant will serve half of the sentence, the rest on her driver’s license.
She was banned from driving for two years and ten months. He must pass an extended test before he can drive again.
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