Careless Blidworth van man knocked motorcyclist off bike

Alex Stapleton’s Renault Trafic van was crossing the A614 on Haywood Oaks Lane, in Calverton, at about 11am, on March 9, when the accident happened.

Prosecutor Robert Carr said: “The motorcyclist couldn’t brake in time and he collided with the front of the van. He ended up on the grass verge in great pain.

“Police officers said his leg looked as if it was broken.

“In interview, Mr Stapleton told police he stopped and looked both ways before pulling out, but saw something out of the corner of his eye and before he could react, the collision happened.”

Stapleton, 45, of Mansfield Road, Blidworth, admitted driving without due care and attention, when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Thursday.

He told the court that on the day of the accident, the sun was low and the motorcyclist was not wearing a high-visibility jacket and he “struggled to make him out.”

“I have been driving for 25 years and I have never had a road traffic collision in my life,” he said. “I pull out of that junction once or twice a day.”

He was fined £200, and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a £30 victim surcharge. His licence was endorsed with five points.

Magistrates told him “it was a case of carelessness.”