A CARELESS Isle of Wight motorist slammed into an elderly cyclist on a busy Newport roundabout, causing life-changing injuries.

Sandra Blake, of Garden Way, Newport, appeared before Isle of Wight magistrates on Tuesday, October 8.

The 59-year-old admitted causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving, in Newport, on April 9.

Prosecutor, Lauren McConnell, said Blake hit a cyclist with her car at the roundabout which connects River Way with Hunnycross Way.

The cyclist, a 77-year-old woman, was approaching the roundabout from under the bridge with the intention of turning onto Hunnycross Way when she was struck by Blake’s car and hurled into the air.

Ms McConnell said she suffered a fracture to her left leg and bruising to her head and face.

In a statement, read out in court, the victim said all she could remember of the incident was seeing the front grill of a large utility vehicle.

She said her whole life changed in a second and she was unsure if she would ever be able to walk unaided again.

The court heard she couldn’t return to her original home, was now living in a bungalow, and was still reliant on a crutch, feeling like ‘the tin man from The Wizard of Oz, stiff and inflexible’.

Michael McGoldrick, defending, said it was clear it was a tragedy and a terrible accident.

He said Blake did not go out with the intention of injuring a cyclist, had an unblemished criminal record, and it was a momentary lapse in concentration which caused the collision.

Mr McGoldrick said she approached the roundabout at a slow speed and couldn’t explain how she didn’t see the cyclist until the point of impact.  

He said she was very distraught at the side of the road following the incident, and very sorry and remorseful for what she had done.

Blake, who wished the cyclist well in her recovery, was fined £200 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.

She was also ordered to pay costs of £85 and a £80 surcharge.