A teacher left paralysed when a teenage student knocked her off her bike tearfully told a court: “If the damage is permanent I cannot see life is worth living.” Shattered cyclist Catherine Mills, 53, suffered multiple injuries and nerve damage and a paralysed left arm after 19-year old motorist Leah MacKinnon pulled out in front of her at a road junction without looking.
At Crewe Magistrates’ Court, Mrs Mills watched on as MacKinnon, from Worcester who studies at Bristol University, was given 180 hours of unpaid work after admitting causing serious injury by careless driving. She was banned from driving for 12 months. But earlier Mrs Mills – whose Oxford-educated husband Dr John Mills, 64, used to work as a Diagnostic Expert in the Oncology Unit at AstraZeneca in Cambridge – gave a tearful impact statement about her paralysis to the court.
In a heartbreaking statement she said: “My upper arm is paralysed and I have only a 70 percent chance of regaining some function.
“It may take up to two years and may require another intervention. I am really struggling with this.
“I feel I am a burden on others, particularly my husband. I need help to wash, dress and cut up food. My arm is hanging like a dead thing and my body now disgusts me.
“The pain has also been constant since the incident despite the painkillers. I have not slept through since the accident. If the nerve damage and neurological pain prove to be permanent I cannot see life is worth living.”
Mrs Mills, who lives in Prestbury near Wilmslow, Cheshire, said she has been suffering nightmares in which she relives the moment the car hit her.
She added: “I was part of a local road bike club cycling 100 miles a week. If not cycling, I was running, or training in the gym. All this has stopped and my self-esteem has plummeted.
“I have painful physiotherapy exercises four times a day which need my husband’s assistance and I have little energy for anything else.
“Even if nerve damage eventually heals, following the accident, I risk a dislocated shoulder again. The idea of getting on a bike, something that used to give me joy, now scares me.
“I do not recognise myself anymore. I am ashamed of who I have become.”
The court heard Dr Mills and their three children have a hereditary eye condition which means they rely on her as a driver. She explained: “My role in life is my husband’s carer.
“I was always the driver in my family, helping them to achieve a level of independence.
“Now I cannot drive, possibly for the rest of my life, both my husband’s life and my children’s life have gotten harder and smaller.
“There is much less social contact than before, having to justify the cost of a taxi. I see signs of depression in my husband now. He is struggling to cope. I am also an A-level chemistry examiner and I am unable to work on this year’s series.
“My left arm is paralysed and I cannot mark at the speed needed. I am a forced to type with one finger. That has impacted financially as well as taking away a sense of being independent. I may never work again in this role.”
The incident occurred at 2.55pm on December 28th last year when MacKinnon was on Oak Road waiting to pull out onto Chelford Road.
Prosecutor Sarah McInerney said: “Mrs Mills had priority on the main road on a bicycle and was wearing safety equipment and had a flashing headlight . She saw the defendant stop at a junction then look left but not right.
“She then pulled out of the junction and collided with Mrs Mills causing substantial injuries. The victim was taken to Macclesfield Hospital orthopaedic ward, suffering from nerve damage and fractured shoulder blades.
“There are ongoing injuries and the victim has asked me to convey to the court the treatment is ongoing at this stage. It is uncertain if she will regain function in the arm.
“The Crown accepts it was a momentary lapse in concentration on the part of the defendant but it is clear this has had a significant impact on Mrs Mills’ life.”
Mrs Mills was thrown over the bonnet of MacKinnon’s Ford Fiesta and was left with a dislocated shoulder, broken shoulder blades, broken ribs and damaged tendons.
She also suffered nerve damage which has left her with a paralysis in her left arm with only a 70 percent chance of recovery. Inquiries revealed MacKinnon who had been visiting a college friend in Macclesfield, Cheshire failed to look to her right as she pulled out of a side street.
As the victim was being treated at the roadside, the youngster was heard repeatedly shouting: ‘I am sorry’ to the point she had a panic attack.
Amy Edwards, defending, said: “Miss MacKinnon stopped at the junction and the cyclist came from her right. She pulled out of the junction and the cyclist went over the bonnet. She is incredibly remorseful.
“She has never been in trouble before. She has no points on her licence and has never been disqualified. She is studying at Bristol University and hopes to do a law conversion course.
“The disqualification will impact her work, social life and ability to get to university. There is a civil claim ongoing.”
JP Elaine Hemmings said: “We have paid particular attention to the victim personal statement and the ongoing impact that this is having on Mrs Mills. It is in the interests of Mrs Mills to allow the civil claim to proceed separately.”