Police have released the mugshot of a “reckless” driver who caused a man to suffer life-changing injuries through his “exceptionally stupid and dangerous” decisions.
Christopher Heap, 29, from Church, Accrington, was caught on dashcam footage overtaking vehicles that were waiting at a temporary traffic light on Accrington Road, Burnley, on January 13 last year.
At a hearing on Tuesday (May 28) at Preston Crown Court, Heap was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for his “highly dangerous manoeuvre” which resulted in Ross Wallace suffering serious injuries.
Mr Wallace was waiting to cross the road and was ploughed into by Heap as soon as he stepped into the carriageway, causing him to suffer multiple fractures, punctured lungs, and a laceration to his kidney.
He spent three weeks in the intensive care unit at Royal Preston Hospital before being transferred to the major trauma unit.
Keira Shaw, prosecuting, said the incident happened at around 8.40am with Heap travelling along Accrington Road towards the Network 65 business park by junction 9 of the M65, having just dropped off his partner.
Roadworks were being carried out along Accrington Road at the time, but Heap said he did not know this as he did not use the road often.
A statement from Mr Wallace’s parents, Susie and George, said the family have had to make lifelong changes to provide round-the-clock care for their son while trying to balance their own full-time jobs.
READ MORE: Man suffered life-changing injuries in Burnley crash
Kristian Cavanagh, defending, said Heap recognised the seriousness of what he has done and made frank admissions when interviewed by the police.
Judge Darren Preston said: “You made two exceptionally stupid, exceptionally dangerous decisions in quick succession.
“The first was to pull out into the opposite carriageway at all and try to get past the traffic. The second was when you saw the signals and you thought the best thing to do would be to accelerate hard and try and get through.”
As well as his prison sentence, Heap was banned from driving for two years plus an extension of 16 months to reflect his time in prison.
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