A woman who drove through a fence and into a nursery playground where more than 20 young children were playing has been given a suspended prison sentence. Jayne James, 63, was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for 12 months, at Chester Magistrates' Court after previously admitting dangerous driving. She was also banned from driving for two years.
Crash at nursery playground
The court heard that James crashed a grey Omoda people carrier through a wooden fence at Partou Sunny Days Day Nursery and Pre-School in Ellesmere Port on June 16. The vehicle entered the playground, where 22 children aged between two and three were outside at the time, Cheshire Live reports.
The car continued through the playground before colliding with a brick wall, pinning a two-year-old boy between the front wheel of the vehicle and the wall itself. Two other children were also injured by flying debris as the Omoda crashed through the fence.
Children treated and discharged
A staff member present on the playground at the time quickly intervened and pulled the pinned child out from under the car and proceeded to call the emergency services. All three children were taken to hospital for treatment and fortunately had only sustained minor injuries. They have since been discharged.
The child who had been pinned by the vehicle sustained a considerable friction burn on their torso. James was arrested at the scene and taken into custody.
Vehicle examination
She told officers she had been driving the vehicle at the time of the collision but could not remember any specific details as to how the incident had occurred. She went on to say that she had been driving the vehicle for a number of months but did mention that there was a feature on the Omoda - an automatic vehicle - that meant it would begin to accelerate if a certain pedal was pressed whilst it was stationary.
Following an examination of the vehicle by officers, it was determined to have no mechanical faults that could have caused or contributed towards the collision.
Police response
Detective Sergeant Amy Hollis, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "The lives of over 20 young children were put at serious risk as a result of James' inability to control her vehicle. Three of them were injured, one of them was trapped between the vehicle and a brick wall, all of them were left scared.
"Despite the distressing nature of the incident, I would like to give the members of staff who helped get the children to safety, as well as the attending Cheshire Police and emergency service colleagues who managed the scene my profound thanks for their efforts. The outcome could have been very different.
"I am very glad to hear that all the children injured in the collision both directly and indirectly have been discharged from hospital and have since made a full physical recovery. That being said, they and their families continue to be supported by our partner agencies as a result of the emotional and psychological impact of the collision which is likely to have a lasting result."
