A MAN who caused a serious collision with an oncoming car between Chard and Taunton when he lost control after overtaking another vehicle has been given a 12 month driving ban.

Callum Hutchinson started “snaking” across the road and his car slid horizontally, crashing into the other vehicle leaving the female passenger with serious injuries.

When he appeared in the dock before Somerset Magistrates he told them that he had lost control after skidding on damp mud on the road and was sorry for what happened.

Hutchinson, 22, of The Avenue, Yeovil, pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle without due care and attention on a road between the A303 and B3170 at Staple Hill on April 11.

Prosecutor Althea Brooks said that the defendant was driving a VW Polo on the road at 5.20pm when another man as at the wheel of a VW Golf coming in the opposite direction.

“As Hutchinson drove down the hill by a car park he began to overtake a white van but he lost control as he passed it,” she said.

“The other driver came over the top of the hill, saw the defendant snake across the road and tried to take evasive action but a collision occurred after the Polo slid horizontally onto the other side of the road.”

Considerable damage was caused to both cars and the female passenger in the Golf sustained a fractured sternum and cracked ribs and also suffered back pain.

In a victim impact statement read to the court she said it was two months after the accident before she was able to get back into a car again and was in so much pain she had to sleep sitting up in a chair and couldn’t lie down.

She said her daughter had to take holiday to take care of her and she also lost money as she had a walking holiday booked which she was unable to go on.

Her husband, who was the other driver, suffered severe bruising to his right leg and a cut to his head as a result of the impact and had back pain for even week afterwards.

He said: “I believe we were all very fortunate as if we had collided head-on then it could have caused a fatality.”

Mrs Brooks said there were aggravating factors involved in the case including excessive speed and aggressive driving and the considerable injuries that were caused to other people.

The court heard that the defendant also had three penalty points on his licence at the time for a previous speeding offence.

Appearing unrepresented, Hutchinson told the magistrates that as he went round the corner of the road his car came into contact with some damp mud.

“My car skidded and I lost control, and as I went into a snaking motion I tried to steer away,” he said.

“The other people were seemingly ok and I said I was sorry for what happened, but the other driver was furious at me but was placated by his wife and others.”

He said he was working on a fixed term, renewable contract but said if his employment did change then he would need a licence to get to work.

The magistrates told the defendant it was an extremely unfortunate incident caused by his own careless driving and it fell into the most serious category for that offence.

They fined him £300 and disqualified him from driving for the next year.

They also ordered him to pay £750 compensation to the passenger and £400 to the driver of the other car along with £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.