Tag: driving accident

Using Van As A Weapon In A Road Rage Attack

Posted on by News Desk
A road rage incident left a man with life-changing injuries when two vehicles crushed him

Francesco Ippolito received a nearly 10-year prison sentence for the brutal attack

How Road Rage Turned Violent

The road rage incident occurred on Banwell Road near Hutton Garden Centre in Weston-super-Mare.

Ippolito became enraged when his Volkswagen Transporter’s wing mirror hit another van driver.

He got out of his vehicle to confront the other driver and two other men, before driving his van at one of them.

The Devastating Impact Of Road Rage On The Victim’s Life

Ippolito fled to Bristol, where authorities later arrested him.

The victim, who suffered fractures to both legs and a broken pelvis, has had to undergo multiple operations.

In a statement, the victim said that the attack had ruined his life.

It left him unable to go out unaided or play with his children.

Ippolito initially denied the charge of grievous bodily harm.

But he changed his plea to guilty two weeks before the trial was set to begin.

At Bristol Crown Court, he was sentenced to nine years and four months in custody.

Previous Conviction: How The Past Caught Up With Him In Court

Ippolito has a history of driving incidents.

In 2009, authorities convicted him of causing a man’s death through careless driving.

As a result, he has been classified as a dangerous offender.

He will remain on licence for an extended period of five years following his release from prison.

Sentencing

Judge William Hart described the attack as an “insignificant everyday event” that led to extreme violence.

He told Ippolito that he had lost his self-control with devastating consequences.

The judge also highlighted the severity of the victim’s injuries, stating that the consequences were “very grave indeed.”

Investigation And Aftermath

Detective Sergeant Rachel Walls commended the investigation team for their thorough work in locating Ippolito and securing the evidence needed for his guilty plea.

She expressed sympathy for the victim and his family, who continue to live with the physical and emotional aftermath of the attack.

Conclusion

This incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of road rage and the need for self-control when behind the wheel.

It highlights the need to hold individuals accountable for their actions and ensure justice for the victims of violent crimes.

Car Calamities and Doggy Disasters

Posted on by News Desk

So, we’ve spent the past few weeks here warning you about the uptick of idiot drivers on the roads as lockdown eases (day 98 and counting), but it seems it’s not just the members of the great British public who are at it, you lot are having your own fair share of accidents too.

Let’s start in Lancashire, whose police force are currently without their drone unit, thanks to a red van driver who failed to stop and rammed into the police unit before making off. Thankfully he didn’t get far and has been arrested and is awaiting further action.

Meanwhile, a van driver up in Wakefield will be praying his van insurance is the best he could buy, after crashing into the back of a car which was awaiting roadside assistance on the M1. Except it wasn’t just any car. Oh no. The car in question was a Lamborghini Huracan Spyder, which was just 20 minutes old, having just been collected by its new proud owner, before running into mechanical issues and was awaiting assistance. 

Ouch.

Who doesn’t like to take their dog to work? Especially now, given that social distancing in vans means there is more space for our four-legged friends to join us on our day to day adventures. Although with it comes a great responsibility, especially in hotter weather. If you are going to take your dog along, don’t do what a Wilshire van driver did, and leave his Springer Spaniel in the van with the windows closed for over an hour. Seeing the dog was in distress, luckily the police were on hand to break the van window and give the dog some much-needed water. The van driver however, on returning to his vehicle was less than impressed with the police, ‘not seeing a problem’ with leaving his dog in a hot van. Thankfully, this has earned him a referral to the RSPCA. 

DO NOT LEAVE DOGS IN YOUR VAN IN THE SUMMER.

It’s that simple. If they are coming to work with you, it’s your responsivity to make sure that they are well taken care of and not left unattended by you. Otherwise, you are likely going to be better leaving them at home.

One final thing – we expect an uptick in drink driving this weekend when people flood back to the pub, so if you are out, stay safe, and if you are going to the pub – don’t drink and drive, and don’t leave your dog in the van. It’s really not so hard.

More Needs to be Done For Working Driver Safety, Report Finds

Posted on by News Desk

UK Road Safety Charity, IAM Roadsmart has delivered a call to action for working drivers and their employers, stating that more needs to be done to keep working drivers safe and reduce the levels of accidents on the roads.

Their report has found that there were 5,506 serious and fatal crashed that occurred in 2018, where at-work drivers were involved, a number that has increased over time. This is in sharp contrast to the overall number of deaths and serious accidents in general, which has shown a reassuring decrease over the same amount of time. Also worrying was that almost half of employers expected their employees to answer their phone whilst they were on the road. A shocking 13% of those surveyed said that the hard shoulder was a suitable place to take or make work phone calls, and 17% of driving employees said they had been involved in an incident as a result of a phone call from a colleague.

The head of the charity said that not only do employers have to wise up about what is acceptable for their own, in-house drivers, but that many don’t realise that grey-fleet (self-employed, but working for the company) drivers are also liable and subject to the same codes of conduct and laws as those who are fully employed.

The report goes on to demand that more needs to be done by businesses in terms of educating drivers on codes of conduct and behaving responsibly whilst behind the wheel and that companies need to have a responsible set of rules for all their drivers, employed or not.

Many employers and employees fail to acknowledge that while taking hands-free calls is legal, it is still a significant distraction that they should actively be avoiding. And the reality is that for businesses who have a fleet of drivers, around 30% of that fleet will be involved in some kind of collision whilst on the roads each year.

Employers need to have solid health and safety whilst driving at work plans, but many still do not.

Meanwhile, almost a third of drivers for work do not have the correct insurance and are lacking any or adequate cover for business travel, rendering their policies useless. And, while we don’t have all the answers for improving road safety, that one we can help with. Simply fill out our online form and let the best insurers come to you directly with a range of insurance policies for van drivers that will cover pretty much all eventualities.

Stay safe, out there!

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