A FATHER ended up with a metal post impaled in his leg after he crashed a car while rushing to Bridlington to see his daughter because he suspected she had meningitis, a court has heard.
In the early hours of April 27, Russell Thomas McKalroy, 35, of Eastfield Road, Driffield crashed a white Kia car into street furniture at a roundabout on the A164 at Nafferton - causing a metal post to penetrate his leg.
He was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary where he spent several weeks recovering from the crash which involved a car he had taken from his parents without permission and driven without a valid licence. The car was written off by insurers after the crash.
McKalroy pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and driving a motor vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence when he appeared before magistrates in Bridlington last Wednesday.
He was also found in possession of a small quantity of amphetamine at the time of the crash and pleaded guilty to possessing a controlled drug of class B.
Prosecutor Jayne Wilson told the court that McKalroy confirmed to police that he had no driving licence and he had taken the vehicle knowing it belonged to his parents and he had no insurance to drive it.
In mitigation Vicky Lancaster told the court that McKalroy previously had a long standing drug habit but had been clean since going into a Christian rehabilitation programme in Wales and had tested negative for drugs at the time of the crash.
Ms Lancaster said McKalroy had been discussing his daughter with his ex-partner over the internet and was concerned about her because she had been unwell.
“At the time he made a total irrational decision to be with her because he’d got it into his head that she had meningitis. He went into a real panic, got into his parent’s car and drove to Bridlington,” Ms Lancaster said.
Ms Lancaster said McKalroy had been taking medication for the pain he was suffering after contracting hepatitis C and that may have contributed to the crash.
“He got a metal pole impaled through his leg missing the artery by a fraction. He was in hospital for many, many weeks,” Ms Lancaster added.
Ms Lancaster also told the court that the amphetamine found in his clothing was a “minuscule amount” and looked as if it had been through the wash.
Passing sentence presiding magistrate Sue Ackrill said: “You were driving unsupervised and not very well, you could have killed yourself and then what would your daughter have done?”.
McKalroy was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £70. He was also ordered to pay court costs of £40 and a victim surcharge of £15. The court also ordered to forfeiture and destruction of the amphetamine.