A WOMAN has admitted her careless driving caused serious injury to a motorcyclist who, a court heard, will never ride a bike again.

Valerie Elizabeth Allen, 42, was prosecuted following a two-vehicle collision close to Carlisle city centre on July 7 last year.

It involved a Ford C-Max car driven by Allen and a motorcycle ridden by Neil Smith. And it occurred as her vehicle emerged from Lancaster Street on to Crown Street, close to the junction with Botchergate.

When Allen appeared at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court this afternoon (mon) she pleaded guilty to one offence. This was causing serious injury to Mr Smith by driving the Ford without due care and attention.

District judge Timothy Gascoyne was told her admission had been entered on a formal written basis — essentially an account provided by Allen and her legal team to explain her level of guilt.

Prosecutor Carl Gaffney asked for the case to be adjourned for a short period of time so that the victim could be asked for his views on the basis put forward by the defendant.

The motorcyclist, he said, had suffered a “lifetime change”. “He has spoken in a statement of the potential for having a replacement elbow by the time he is 40 or 50,” said Mr Gaffney.

Having suffered a badly fractured elbow, he would not be able to ride a bike again and would have to learn to drive in order to transport himself, the court heard.

“There will be life-changing consequences from this,” stated the prosecutor.

A decision on whether or not Allen’s basis of plea will be accepted will be taken in due course.

District judge Gascoyne adjourned the case for three weeks and directed that a pre-sentence report should be prepared.

He also imposed an interim driving ban. The exact length of that disqualification will be set at the sentencing hearing.

Allen, of Hillview Crescent, Annan, is next due to appear at the magistrates’ court on February 19, and in the meantime she has been granted unconditional bail.