Friday 27 August 2010

Killer driver sued by dead cyclist’s father

The father of a cyclist who was killed in a head-on smash has launched a High Court bid for £300,000 in compensation.

Mark Robinson, 32, of Somersham, died from multiple injuries after the collision in Low Road, Fenstanton, in November 2008, when he was hit by a car overtaking another vehicle.

The driver, professional golf coach Matthew Rice, 26, of Peartree Close, Fenstanton, was jailed for 20 weeks and banned from driving for two years after admitting causing death by careless driving.

He appealed against the sentence and was released from custody after the prison term was suspended. The driving ban was halved.

The court was told that had Mr Robinson survived, even with life-changing injuries, the maximum penalty Rice would have faced would have been a fine.