A biker needed 32 staples in a leg and others to her palm and chin after being knocked over by a careless teenage driver in Sunderland.
Bethany Tempest was flung to the highway near the city’s Spire Bridge when Adam Graham went through a red light and into her path.
The collision, on Saturday, February 27, left her hospitalised and prevented her starting a career-boosting bricklaying course two days later.
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Graham, 19, of Sunniside Lane, Cleadon, South Tyneside, admitted in court he had mistakenly tripped the lights, causing the accident.
Magistrates in South Tyneside spared him a driving ban after hearing it would force him to shut down his plastering business and lay off three employees.
They instead fined the newly qualified driver and imposed five penalty points on his licence - one less than would have caused him to re-sit his test.
Prosecutor Leanne Duffy said the smash happened as Graham drove his Ford Fiesta east on the A1231 Wessington Way, planning to turn right onto the bridge.
She added: “Bethany Tempest was driving her Suzuki motorbike and was approaching the Spire Bridge.
“She passed a car and progressed through a green light. She tried to stop her bike but collided with the other vehicle.
“The accident left her suffering extreme pain in a leg, and she was conveyed to hospital.
“She had a deep leg laceration which required 32 staples, injuries to her front right wrist and three staples to her chin.”
In a victim statement read to the court, Ms Tempest said her hand injury had prevented her starting her bricklaying career.
And she said it had also impaired her ability to follow her hobby of gaming.
Joanne Gatens, defending, said Graham had recently taken over his late father’s plastering business and his driving licence was essential to its success.
She added: “He was travelling east, from Washington towards Sunderland, and was at the junction near the Sainsbury’s store.
“He was turning right onto the Spire Bridge, and the biker was travelling in the opposite direction.
“He had stopped at the lights but saw traffic in other lanes move straight on.
“It was because of that that he thought that he had the right to also drive on. It was a momentary lapse.
“If you give him more than five points he will have to revert back to his provisional licence. He is the only person in the business who can drive the van.”
Graham pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention when he appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.
As well as penalty points, he was fined £133, with £85 court costs and a £34 victim surcharge.
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