March man’s road safety plea

A man left fighting for his life after a severe car crash has urged people to think about the consequences of dangerous driving after the other driver was jailed.

Robin Fletcher, 49, from March, suffered severe injuries, including internal bleeding on the brain, when his company vehicle was hit by another car on Upwell Road, March, last year.

He was unable to avoid the collision when the oncoming car, driven by Jamie Greenwood, crossed into his line of path on the afternoon of March 17 last year.

Greenwood admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was jailed for two-and-a-half years last month.

Robin, a manager for Network Rail, was immediately rushed to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge after the crash due to his injuries, including fractures to his neck, ribs, pelvis, kneecap and right arm. He also suffered injuries to his spine and a paralysed vocal chord and remained in hospital for two months.

After a lengthy rehabilitation process, Robin returned to work six months after the accident. He eased himself back in by initially working part-time hours, but has been unable to return to his former role and has now been redeployed on medical advice.

He still suffers from some balance issues and finds it difficult being in noisy, crowded areas and has lost a lot of confidence since the crash.

Robin’s condition has improved with the help of out-patient appointments at a fracture clinic, speech and language therapy to help with swallowing following his paralysed vocal chord, physiotherapy and counselling. He will also need surgery in future to help with his recovery.

Helen, Robin’s wife and mother of their two sons, said: “I was shocked at Robin’s condition when I first saw him in hospital after the accident.

“I could hardly see his face due to all of the wires and tubes on the top half of his body. It was terrifying as he was in an awful lot of pain and could barely speak.

“I found it extremely hard to tell our boys that their daddy was in hospital and we all found it really difficult whilst he was there. Since being discharged, Robin is making steady progress.”

Robin added: “I hope that all other drivers will take note of the impact this crash has had on us as a family and think about the consequences of their actions on the road.

“Nothing can turn back the clock but, hopefully, highlighting what happened will help improve road safety.”

Robin has now instructed specialist serious injury lawyers to help him secure compensation in order to access ongoing rehabilitation.

Neil Whiteley, a specialist serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Cambridge office, which is representing Robin, said: “In this case, the court recognised the impact that the appalling driving has had on Robin. Dangerous driving can be fatal or lead to dramatically changed lives and it is crucial this sends out a message to drivers to take more care on the roads.”