Taxi Driver Online

'Coward' ran off after crashing into Uber and seriously injuring taxi driver and passenger in Leeds

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/ ... ds-3460243



A man who fled the scene after seriously injuring a taxi driver and a passenger when he collided with an Uber has been sent to prison.

Jack White ran from the crash scene despite the two victims being trapped in the wreckage.

The female passenger suffered horrific, life-changing, facial injuries in the incident on Sharp Lane, Robin Hood.

White, 26, was jailed for 18 months at Leeds Crown Court after pleading guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and one of having no insurance.

Catherine Duffy, prosecuting, said the incident happened on December 11, 2019.

The Uber, a Toyota Prius, was approaching the junction with Leeds Road when White, who was travelling in the opposite direction in a Ford Focus, drove on the wrong side of the road and caused the crash.

Both vehicles spun around in the road after the impact, which took place at 9.40pm.

White and his passengers ran from the car but the defendant was arrested after his DNA was recovered from an airbag.

Ms Duffy said the driver suffered fractures to his wrist and collar bone as well as pain and swelling to his neck, wrist and ribs.

The passenger suffered multiple injuries to her face.

She has undergone six operations since the incident to have metal plates fitted to her eye socket, cheekbone and jaw.

The woman also suffered a serious fracture to her elbow and a laceration to her liver.

She read a victim statement to the court describing the physical and mental pain she has suffered.

The court heard she has been left with permanent scarring and is now afraid to travel on the road.

Ms Duffy said little was known about the cause of the collision as the victims did not see White's vehicle before the crash.

White, who does not hold a driving licence, also claims not to be able to recall anything about the incident.

Martin Morrow, mitigating, said White pleaded guilty to the offences at an early stage.

Mr Morrow said White, of Newhall Crescent, Belle Isle, had been diagnosed as having ADHD and is also on the autism spectrum.

He added: "The defendant wishes to apologise unreservedly.

"This was a very serious incident with significant life-changing injuries.."

Sentencing, Judge Simon Batiste said: "What has caused you to drive straight across into a vehicle in the other lane is not clear.

"What is clear is that you had passengers, other young men, in the vehicle.

"Rather than checking on the welfare of the victims in the other vehicle, you and your accomplices ran off, hiding from what you had done.

"It is a cowardly and aggravating feature.

"You would have known that you should not have been driving.

"It was not your vehicle and you were driving in a very dangerous manner indeed."

White was also banned from driving for five years and nine months.

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IDFIMH

DNA on the airbag might have had something to do with that.

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IDFIMH

we seriously need to educate these journos



a bit of strange why not just a set number of years ?



pathetic sentence

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

You mean you don't like the description 'app driver'?

I think it's quite good, actually. Defo better than that annoying 'ride hailing' description. Not sure what that's meant to mean, precisely, but makes it sound like Uber, Bolt et al are different in some way, but not clear why.

But 'app driver' does, er, aptly describe how Uber and Bolt drivers *are* different, because you can only book them via an app.

Of course, 'app-only driver' might be more accurate, because most bigger traditional firms now use apps as well as more conventional booking procedures. But 'app-only driver' would be a bit of a clunky description in a newspaper report.


I know - constantly slating journos, but not even using capital letters and full stops

Oh, wait, you meant jail 'sentence'. I do apologise

Check the actual wording in the article please

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Ah, I see, you quoted from the article, but changed the quote

But 'app driver' is quite a good description - I like it.

Anyway, the misuse of the t-word was of course given a higher profile this week with the Liverpool incident.

But, as regards public understanding, I suspect the t-word aided clarity, and try as you might, the media wasn't going to stop using the t-word.

And, in contexts like that, I don't really thing it makes a huge difference.

But noticed plenty of nonsense on social media, such as people thinking it was a 'black cab' because it was a black-coloured 'taxi', and lots of stuff about what doors could and couldn't be locked by the driver, blah, blah.

Another rabbit hole I decided not to go down