Pensioner has licence revoked after causing A47 pile-up with lorry

And the passenger riding in the car in front of him had to have her leukaemia treatment delayed due to the injuries she sustained.

John Walker had been driving his Hyundai I10 to Hunstanton when he came to the approach to the roundabout around 12.34pm on September 27 last year.

A queue of 'moderate to heavy' traffic was waiting in front of him on the approach to the roundabout, and as Walker came to the rear of the queue he changed lanes suddenly.

He collided with the back of a Honda, which was forced into the back of a lorry.

Norwich Magistrates Court heard how Walker approached a row of stationary vehicles waiting to enter the roundabout but 'changed lanes at the very last minute'.

He smashed into the back of a red Honda Civic, which was pushed into the back of a flatbed lorry waiting in front.

Prosecutor Waseem Raja described photos of the collision as 'quite horrendous'.

The passenger was seriously injured with a broken sternum,' he said. 'She required four days in hospital and the Honda was written off as the fire service had to cut her free from the vehicle.

'Critically, as a long term consequence she was unable to start treatment for leukaemia for another six weeks.'

Walker, who did not attend court, was fined £225 and had his licence endorsed by six points.

But the court heard the DVLA had already revoked his licence due to the incident.

In a letter to the court, Walker said: 'There were cars and lorries in front all going in the same direction,' he said. 'The car and lorry stopped without warning, I had no time to stop and went into the car in front of me.

'I couldn't get my breath. I was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where I had a broken bone in the front of my chest, and I was in hospital for two weeks.'

Walker, of Walford Drive, Lincoln, admitted driving without due care and attention, and was also ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge and £100 in court costs.