Woman who left pedestrian paralysed after crashing into him jailed
A mum who left a pedestrian needing round-the-clock care after ploughing into him while showing off at an illegal car meet has been jailed.
Keira Ridler, 26, lost control of her Nissan Juke and hit a VW Golf at around 70mph – more than double the speed limit – before spinning and crashing into Christopher Rakestraw.
Mold Crown Court heard the 24-year-old ‘pleaded with people in the crowd to kill him’ because he didn’t want to live with the catastrophic injuries he suffered in the September 2021 smash.
They were so severe that he lost all function in all four of his limbs and now has a team of six carers looking after him 24-hours a day.
Ridler, of Wrexham, admitted two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving over the incident in Flint, North Wales.
if(window.adverts) { adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_mobile_top"}) } if(window.adverts) { adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet"}) }She pleaded with the judge to suspend the 20-month sentence, saying she now has a 15-month-old child, and sobbed when he refused, telling her the case was too serious.
Although she was not racing with some of the other drivers, the court heard Ridler repeatedly went ‘far, far in excess of the speed limit’.
Her first victim, VW driver Ellie Blower – had been edging out at a T-junction moments after witnessing a near-miss when Ridler hit her.
She suffered injuries including a fractured wrist and ankle.
The court heard Mr Rakestraw spent 12 months in hospital and now lives in an adapted bungalow.
He is likely to remain bedbound or wheelchair bound.
Richard Dawson, defending Ridler, said she attended the gathering due to her ‘passion for cars’.
‘All of them attended what we have to accept was an illegal car meet,’ he said.
‘She is profoundly sorry and seeks to apologise for all that has happened.
‘This was a tragic case which had catastrophic consequences for all concerned in the events that night.
‘Frankly, one cannot conceive of more serious injuries which did not result in death. This is a young lady of previous good character with an otherwise clean driving record.
‘Whatever sentence this court might ultimately pass will pale in comparison to the separation from her young child, now just 15 months old.’
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Read More StoriesJudge Niclas Parry told Ridler: ‘Your purpose in being there was to show off and attract attention.
‘You did that, driving up and down a 30mph road far, far in excess of the speed limit.
if(window.adverts) { adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_mobile_mid"}) } if(window.adverts) { adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_mid"}) }‘There was the inevitable conclusion, and the consequences can only be described as catastrophic.’
Ridler was also banned from driving for two years and ten months. She must pass an extended retest before she can get behind the wheel again.
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