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Driving ban for man who crashed into pregnant woman

Thu, 25 Feb 2016

A Douglas man has been banned from driving after causing a crash he had "no recollection of" which left a heavily pregnant woman needing emergency surgery.

60-year-old James Shimmin veered into the opposite carriageway on Whitebridge Hill in Onchan on June 6th - causing a head-on collision.

The impact caused the woman's placenta to come away and after a caesarean she delivered a healthy baby - Shimmin himself was put in an induced coma after suffering a head injury.

He later admitted a charge of causing serious bodily harm by driving without due care or consideration - he'd previously denied the charge whilst awaiting medical evidence.

During sentencing at Douglas Courthouse this week Shimmin's advocate told the court he could only speculate as to why it happened saying he may have lost consciousness or fallen asleep at the wheel.

Sentencing him Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes told him "perhaps no-one will ever know the answer".

She ordered him to carry out 180 hours of community service, pay prosecution costs of £500 and disqualified him from driving for 12 months and until he's passed an extended driving test.

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