Fury at sentence for driver who left girl brain damaged

A FATHER today blasted an eight-month road ban given to a pensioner who drove through a red light and knocked down his daughter, leaving her brain damaged, as "ridiculous". Helen

• Health and safety teacher Helen Boston drove through a red light at a puffin crossing. Picture: Greg Macvean

Boston, 73, was given the driving ban along with a 400 fine by Sheriff Neil MacKinnon yesterday after pleading guilty to colliding with the girl who was on her way to a city park.

The youngster, who spent a week in an induced coma after the smash, was struck on a puffin crossing.

Her father today told the Evening News that Boston, a part-time health and safety teacher, should have received a lifetime ban following the accident, which he said had "destroyed my daughter's life".

He said the girl was only able to attend school for two hours a day, and her ability to learn had been severely impaired by an injury to her brain.

The youngster, who cannot be identified, was walking on the crossing with her father and sister last Christmas Eve when she was hit by the pensioner's car.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard yesterday that she was "thrown into the air and landed on the roadway" after being struck on Stevenson Drive in Saughton, only yards from her front door.

Boston told the court that she misread the lights while driving over to her sister's home with presents. She admitted driving without due care and attention, failing to obey a red traffic signal and colliding with the girl to her severe injury.

The girl's father said: "This is a ridiculous sentence. She nearly killed my daughter and for that she is only banned from driving for eight months. I don't know whether a jail sentence would be right because it was an accident, but she should've been banned for life for what she did.

In only a few months she will be driving again, which isn't right."

The girl's father said the family was still struggling to come to terms with the extent of the youngster's injuries.

He added: "She goes to school for two hours because the doctors say it's important for her to stay with her friends. But the blood and bruising in her brain has made it difficult for her to learn now. It's destroyed her life and will always affect her. We struggle every day now as it's changed our lives too."

Her father said he had been taking his two daughters to Saughton Park, where they were going to make a snowman, when the crash took place.

His daughter was taken to the Sick Kids Hospital and was found to have bruising to the brain and injuries to her face.

Boston, of Tyler's Acre Avenue in Carrick Knowe, declined to comment when contacted by the Evening News yesterday.

The court heard when Boston was spoken to about the incident she said she had noticed a bus in the bus lane had stopped, but was not aware the lights were red and continued through the crossing.

Defence agent Roy Harley said at this particular crossing the light for the pedestrians faced oncoming traffic.

He said: "The light on the left was obscured by the bus so she was faced with a red light at the top and a green light below, which she reckons led to the confusion.

"She was on a journey to take presents to her sister and had in her car her daughter and grandchildren and thinks she was careful in her driving."