Personal injury news

Motorcycle accident victim escapes jail

A taxi driver who fled from police at speeds of up to 110mph before being involved in a motorcycle accident has narrowly escaped being sent to prison.

Alan Downs pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and was banned for 12 months and also ordered to do 220 hours of unpaid community service after the incident on April 10th 2005.

The 39-year-old already had two convictions for speeding when he rode through a red light on his high-performance motorbike on the B1222 in Yorkshire. A police patrol car saw him jump the light and started to follow, and Downs immediately sped off.

The police Volvo made chase and caught the pursuit on video tape, which was shown to a shocked York Crown Court. Whilst attempting to make his escape, Downs, of Anlaby Gardens, Hull, took a bend too fast and came off his bike, slid along the ground and was lucky to walk away from the motorcycle accident with no serious personal injuries.

Judge Hoffman, sentencing, told the taxi driver, "This was an outrageous piece of driving, particularly when you have these two speeding convictions.

"It is only your guilty plea - late though it was - that has enabled me to keep you out of prison."