January 29, 2010

Accidents signal possible end to sporting endeavours

Multi-sporter Robert Hunt might have to accept that his years of competition are coming to an end. He’s 86.

He was using a walking frame when he came to the Christchurch District Court today.

He made it slowly to the dock to plead guilty to a charge of careless driving causing injury.

Defence counsel Amanda Fitzgibbon said Hunt had drive through a stop sign he simply did not see.

There were injuries to the other driver, Hunt’s own car was written off, and he spent two weeks in hospital himself with a fractured pelvis.

He had one previous conviction for a similar offence 12 years ago.

He was living independently but did not want to be a danger to himself or anybody else, she said. He accepted that perhaps it was time his licence was not given back to him.

Miss Fitzgibbon said he was a keen multi-sporter and she had met him “on the river” last year.

He had a near-death experience when he fell from his kayak, and later broke his hip in a fall from his bicycle.

“He has read the victim impact report and he is very apologetic about what has occurred,” she said.

Judge Raoul Neave said it was the kind of driving misjudgment that easily happened.

He disqualified Hunt from driving for six months and ordered him to pay $500 to the other driver as emotional harm reparations.