Nurse was run over outside QE Hospital in King's Lynn

The orthopaedic carer was walking across a zebra crossing at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn when she was hit by a Ford Focus whose teen driver claimed to have not seen her after being dazzled by glare. 

Norwich Magistrates’ Court was told she had suffered four fractured ribs and a broken shoulder shortly after she left work on August 10 last year.

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Her injuries were still affecting her health and meant she has since had to transfer to an admin role at the hospital resulting in a £280 a month loss in her salary, she said in a personal statement read in court. 

Riley Dale, 19, from Hunstanton, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury due to careless driving.

Colette Harper, prosecuting, said he had told police officers who had been nearby on unrelated matters at the time of the accident that he had been “blinded by the sun”. 

The driver blamed sun glare for failing to see the nurse as she crossed the road (Image: Google)

The nurse had been walking towards the staff car park and had described looking left and right before stepping out onto the zebra crossing.

“The car didn’t stop and she was thrown up onto the bonnet,” added Ms Harper. 

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Michael Cole, mitigating, said it had been a low speed impact with the car estimated to have been travelling at 18mph.

Police at the scene had also described the glare from the sun, he said.

“However, the Highway Code is a harsh master and it says if you are blinded you should stop,” he added. 

Disqualifying him from driving for 12 months, magistrates told Dale: “It does seem you were blinded by the sun, that has been corroborated, but that does not take away the seriousness of this matter.”

He was also ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work and pay the nurse £200 compensation.