Man drove into horse and rider while speaking on a mobile phone
THE family of a woman whose horse was killed by a driver, who was speeding and talking on a mobile phone, has said the incident has had a terrible effect on her and her family’s lives.
Lynn Graham was riding 13-year-old gelding Friendly in Butt Street, Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire on 6 February when the horse was hit by a car driven by 23-year-old Dean Lee.
Lee, of Lanham Gardens, Quedgley, admitted careless driving, driving without insurance and driving while using a handheld phone at Gloucester Magistrates Court on 12 May.
He was banned from driving for 12 months with fines and costs of £575.
Mrs Graham’s daughter-in-law Lisa Graham told H&H that Friendly bled to death at the scene after fracturing his pelvis. Mrs Graham suffered severe injuries including fractured neck vertebrae, a fractured shoulder a punctured lung and a fractured pelvis.
“Lynn is not happy with the sentence,” said Lisa. “The accident has taken a lot away from her.
“She spent weeks in hospital, her partner had to give up his job and she still does not have full use of her shoulder and arm.
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“She has also lost Friendly and her other horses have had to be turned away as she cannot ride.”
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.