Pensioner's hopes and dreams 'crushed' following crash that left her seriously injured
A woman whose arm was injured in a car accident in Wiltshire has said her hopes and dreams have been "crushed".
The victim, a pensioner in her 60s, was travelling in a new Volkswagon Transporter caravan on the A350 near East Knoyle on 15 July 2022 when the crash occurred.
A 57-year-old man was driving a Ford Mondeo on the A350 when he collided with the rear of the vehicle in front of him, shunting it into the path of a Volkswagen Transporter.
The VW Transporter then collided with another vehicle, leaving the victim's arm seriously injured and trapped between the road and her vehicle.
The woman was freed from the wreckage and flown to hospital by air ambulance where doctors managed to save her arm from being amputated, though she has undergone multiple surgeries since.
Victim: 'The accident brought even harder restrictions than we endured during COVID'
The driver of the Ford, Scott Hudson, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving following the four-vehicle collision at Salisbury Magistrates Court.
In a victim impact statement submitted to the court, the victim said the crash had "crippled our future plans" and left her with lifelong scars.
She said: "Having survived the confines of COVID, 2022 was to be our year of liberation and our brand new campervan was an integral part of our future plans.
“The accident crushed all our hopes and dreams - we lost money spent on tickets for music festivals and pre-booked camping for the summer.
"The accident brought back even harder mental and physical restrictions than we had endured during COVID.
"The accident crippled our future plans, we have lost a year so far, healthy years that are incredibly precious in retirement."
The victim, who is from Dudley, added that she will now remember the crash for the rest of her life.
"I will forever be reminded of the accident from the scars I now carry for the rest of my life", she said.
Hudson, from Bradford, was sentenced in court on 24 November.
He was given an 18-month community order to complete 300 hours of unpaid work, an 18-month driving disqualification and was ordered to pay £85 Crown Prosecution Service costs and a £114 victim surcharge.