AN IPSWICH man is doing 80-hours unpaid work today after his careless driving left another motorist with serious injuries which have devastated his life.

AN IPSWICH man is doing 80-hours unpaid work today after his careless driving left another motorist with serious injuries which have devastated his life.

South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court has heard Steven Snashall, 44, of Bramford Road, was driving a Vauxhall Vectra in Foxhall Road around 7.20am on May 5 when he pulled out from behind a car into the path of an oncoming Ford Fiesta.

The driver of the Ford Fiesta suffered a broken thighbone, required a replacement knee and dislocated his wrist.

Reading a witness impact statement in court, Robert Barnwell, prosecuting, said the man was unable to wash or use the toilet without the aid of his mother.

Mr Barnwell said: “He said he can now walk a few steps with the aid of a walking stick but might never return to work due to long-term weakening of his knees.”

He added that the victim felt his life had been “devastated” and can no longer perform “normal daily functions”.

Snashall, who admitted careless driving, submitted a letter to magistrates in which he outlined reasons for his carelessness. In it he expressed his “sincere regret”.

He said personal circumstances had contributed to his state of mind at the time of the accident.

He had discovered his wife was having an affair some months earlier and experienced other personal problems.

At the time of the crash the situation became a “nightmare in his mind” when he realised he had collided with the oncoming car.

Magistrates ordered that Snashall do 80 hours of unpaid work in the community, disqualified him from driving for eight months and ordered he pay costs of £43.

N Were you the person in the Fiesta who was injured? If so telephone The Evening Star newsdesk on 01473 324788