A WOMAN who knocked a motorcyclist from his bike and then drove home leaving him lying seriously injured on the side of the road has been given a four month curfew and a six month driving ban by magistrates.

Vanessa Dennett was driving along a country lane between Ilminster and Crewkerne when she started to overtake a string of three vehicles including a horsebox.

When the motorbike “came out of nowhere” she tried to squeeze her car through the gap but clipped the bike’s wing mirror and the side of the horsebox.

The court was told that the defendant had not realised the motorcyclist had been knocked off, but when she arrived home began to panic and told her husband that she was concerned something could have happened to him.

When other witnesses to the accident stopped to help the victim he was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton suffering from a ruptured spleen, broken ribs and internal bleeding.

Dennett, 53, of Station Road, Crewkerne, pleaded guilty to driving a BMW Mini on an unclassified road between Ilminster and Crewkerne without due care and attention on March 12.

She also admitted failing to stop at the scene of the accident when she appeared before Somerset Magistrates at Yeovil.

Lucy Coleman, prosecuting, said that Dennett was driving home from work at 5.15pm on a country lane with a 60mph limit when she was in a slow moving line of traffic being held up by a horsebox which was driving at 25 to 30mph.

“She did an overtaking manoeuvre, overtaking at least three vehicles including the horsebox, but whilst doing it a motorcycle being driven by Mr Pritchard was travelling in the opposite direction,” she said.

“Dennett continued the overtake and clipped the front of the horsebox and the motorcyclist causing him to fall from his bike but she failed to stop and continued driving home.

“The motorcyclist suffered a ruptured spleen, broken ribs and internal bleeding and the driver of the horsebox tried to catch up with the Mini but failed.

“When Dennett got home she later phoned the police to say she had possibly hit a motorcyclist.”

Miss Coleman said that the victim described how he had “suffered a glancing blow” causing him to be thrown over the front of the bike and onto a grass verge.

“He said he was in extreme pain and held the driver of the Mini solely responsible for the collision as she was on the opposite side of the road,” she said.

In a victim impact statement made by Mr Pritchard he said that he was in hospital for five days following the accident and had also suffered financial hardship as a result.

He wrote: “I was looking for another job at the time after being made redundant and have had to use my savings to live on.

“I don’t have flashbacks but I'm more wary and cautious when riding and still have pains in my groin but am now back playing sports.

“Her poor driving has caused me a lot of damage and injury and I am very upset she did not stop and just left me in the road.”

When Dennett was interviewed by police she said the horsebox was driving very slowly so she checked the road was clear and then overtook it and the bike suddenly came out of nowhere.

“She panicked and forced her way in front of the horsebox but she heard the mirror on the motorbike flip and then just wanted to get home,” said Miss Coleman.

“She said she was concerned something could have happened to the man on the bike and her husband calmed her down and rang the police.”

Defending solicitor Joanne Butler said that the incident occurred following a misjudgement in driving that had “significant consequences” to the motorcyclist.

“My client wants to extend her apologies to the victim and feels very sad about what happened,” she said.

“Her judgement was flawed and she had almost completed the overtaking manoeuvre when she said the bike came out of nowhere and she had to make a judgement call in a nano-second and accelerated to complete the manoeuvre.

“However she clipped the horsebox and clipped the motorcycle and the wing mirror flipped and there was no reason to think it initiated the sequence of events.

“However, after getting home she had to find out what had happened to the motorcyclist, and to her credit she called the police.

“In her mind it was not as serious as she discovered it was but there was no intention to leave him on the side of the road.”

Chair of the magistrates, Susan Hanson, said that they had no doubt Dennett had great remorse for what happened but said it had been a very serious offence.

“You were on a country lane and could see two cars in front of you and none of those thought it wise to overtake, so why on earth you thought it wise I don’t know, and obviously it was not,” she said.

“After an accident was caused you knew you hit the horsebox and had a very strong suspicion you hit the bike but you did not stop and horrendous injuries were caused to the motorcyclist.”

For failing to stop the magistrates sentenced Dennett to a community order with a four month curfew requiring her to be at her home address between the hours of 8pm and 7am daily while electronically tagged.

She was also disqualified from driving for six months.

No separate penalty was made for Dennett's careless driving but she was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.