Shropshire farm worker admits to careless driving which caused death crash and left him paralysed

District Judge Nigel Cadbury said that Michael Robert Harris had had "a little more than a momentary lapse in concentration" when he caused the accident at the Standford Bridge bend on the A41.

Judge Cadbury offered his condolences to those involved in the accident and said that although the offence deserved a prison sentence, little would be achieved by jailing Harris.

A report by the Probation Service said that Harris was "probably harder on himself about this event than any sort of sanction that the court could impose" and that there was little to be offered him in terms of rehabilitation.

Harris, aged 50, had his spinal cord severed when his vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with another car at the Standford Bridge bend on the A41 near Sambrook on August 2, 2014.

The collision left the other driver, a 59-year-old woman, with serious injuries. Her passenger, a family friend from north Wales, died from his injuries on September 27.

Mrs Bally Paul, prosecuting, said that Harris's Ford Fusion Zetec had strayed 0.6m over the double white lines in the centre of the road as he took the bend.

The court heard that both vehicles had been travelling at just under the 50mph speed limit but struck each other with a combined speed of nearly 100mph.

Harris, of Broomfield Road, Newport, yesterday pleaded guilty at Telford Magistrates Court to causing death by careless driving.

He was banned from driving for two years and ordered to retake his test in what would need to be a specially adapted car before he could reclaim his licence.

Harris was also given a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for one year.

Mr Huw Wyn Williams, for Harris, said the defendant, a former farm worker, would be wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life and was continuing to receive treatment for his injuries.

He said Harris wished to apologise and offer his sincerest condolences to the injured driver and the bereaved family.

Mr Williams said Harris was a man of good character, who had previously held a clean driving licence.

He said the defendant's injuries had affected all areas of his day-to-day life and left him virtually house-bound.

The court was told that Harris lived alone and relied on a friend's help to get out of the house.

Mr Williams said he hoped to regain some more independence by taking up a new line of work in IT and learning to drive once his ban was complete.