A WOMAN who left a teenager with serious injuries after crashing into him on a zebra crossing has been handed a three month driving ban.

Chloe Catley, 29, of Freshbrook, pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention when she appeared before magistrates on Wednesday.

The court heard how on November 21 last year, Catley was driving her daughter to nursery when she failed to notice a 14-year-old boy who was crossing Hay Lane near to the junction with Sleaford Close.

She struck the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, sending him flying into the air and onto the road.

Crown prosecutor Pauline Lambert said: “The weather was dark, overcast and raining heavily.

"The victim was carrying his rucksack and had his hood over his head to protect from the rain as he walked to the bus stop. He stopped and waited for the traffic to stop, a red car stopped and waved for him to cross.

“As he was crossing to the other side of the carriageway, a Ford C-Max driven by Miss Catley failed to stop or slow down and struck him.”

He was taken by ambulance to GWH where doctors discovered a broken vertebrae, multiple fractures to his ankle and a broken nose - he was off school for many months as a result and still has pins in his back.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said: “I believed it was safe but as I passed the front of the red car I looked to my left and immediately saw two bright lights.

“That’s when the car hit me. I felt like I was flying and the next thing I knew I could taste blood in my mouth and a woman was repeating ‘it’s going to be ok’ and that an ambulance was coming.”

The court heard how the lasting injuries have left the once active teenager unable to play sports or socialise with friends.

He still has another major back operation to endure and fears his health may never return to full strength.

Catley said she was “very sorry for what happened”.

She described the weather that day as “horrendous” and said the combination of the rain, the light, and the glare from the headlights of cars in front meant she “just could not see the boy”.

Magistrates accepted her regret but said they felt she had not shown the level of attention expected when approaching a zebra crossing.

They banned her from driving for three months. She must also pay a fine of £501, a victim surcharge of £50 and £85 in court costs.