A MANORBIER driver who left a runner with life-changing injuries has been found guilty of driving without due care and attention.

Peter Roderic Thomas, aged 70, had pleaded not guilty on the first day of his trial in September and claimed to a witness he thought he had hit a dog.

Janet Hannaford had been training for Ironman Wales when the accident occurred on August 10, 2018.

She was unconscious for 30 minutes and sustained concussion, four fractured ribs, damaged lumbar vertebrae, a fractured foot bone, whiplash, numerous soft tissue injuries and cuts and bruises.

The bottom of her right lung collapsed after being punctured by the severe rib injuries, and her right kidney was damaged.

Two litres of blood had to be drained from her lung and she was hospitalised for two weeks with an ongoing period of rehabilitation for her injuries.

The trial resumed on Wednesday, November 21, at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court.

Thomas told police that after pulling away, having let a lorry pass, he felt a thump on the passenger side of his Range Rover.

When asked about the damage to his car, he told the officer that the damage wasn’t there before the collision.

Thomas told Magistrates he had suffered a head injury in 2003 as a result of being struck by a falling branch.

He was asked if he had any ongoing issues or problems as a result but Thomas said he did not.

When describing what had happened Thomas said he initially thought he had hit a post or a branch sticking out of the hedgerow.

The driver of the lorry that stopped then came to see if he could offer any assistance.

When asked in court if he recognised the lorry driver who gave evidence on the first day of the trial he said he did not, as this person was the spitting image of Geoff Capes.

The dash-cam footage was then shown to the court but when asked if he recognised the Range Rover in the pictures he stated that the accident had happened within a couple of yards of Lamphey and not where the footage showed.

He described it as ‘very questionable’ despite the footage showing a woman lying in the road behind his car.

Asked if he could see a lady lying on the floor, Thomas said: “I didn’t know what was lying on the floor until I spoke to the lady doctor who told me it was a runner.

Asked if the damage to his car could have been caused in any other way he added: “I can only speculate as I had not seen the object that I had struck.”

Magistrates said they took the matter seriously and found Thomas guilty of the offence.

Before sentencing, Magistrates heard victim impact statements in which Mrs Hannaford explained how she had been training for Ironman but that she had to watch the start of this year’s race from a wheelchair.

In her latest statement she says she is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because of the many injuries she suffered.

Thomas was fined £120 for the incident and ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge and £1240 in court costs. He was also banned from driving for six months.

A compensation order was settled out of court.