A salutary tale, and interesting to compare with the Glasgow Airport article and the steps the punter has taken to avoid charges there
Taxi driver injures woman outside Bournemouth Airporthttps://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/ ... h-airport/A TAXI driver left a woman seriously injured after he went to drive off while she was still getting in his car.Emilian Stoican, 44, was eager to drive away because he was parked on double yellow lines outside Bournemouth Airport and was “worried about the possibility of a fine”, a court heard.
His passenger was knocked from her feet as he moved his car forward, seeing her fall and break her hip.
She required a hip replacement and spent a total of eleven days in hospital.
Stoican appeared at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Monday, November 20, having previously pleaded guilty to a charge of causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving.
Prosecuting, Nicola Reece explained Stoican had travelled to Bournemouth Airport on the evening of May 19 to pick up the female passenger, and her friend, with the pair having returned from a holiday.
The defendant had pulled his taxi up on yellow lines outside the airport’s designated parking zone as to avoid the £5 parking fee, the court heard.
He helped the two passengers to put their luggage in the boot, before one of the women got into the back seat, and Stoican got behind the wheel.
Describing the incident, Ms Reece said: “[The victim] is still standing outside the vehicle – she is passing luggage in.
“At that time, the defendant gets into driver’s seat and moves the car forward.
“[The victim] is knocked from her feet. The defendant stops the vehicle and gets out to assist her.”
The injured passenger, who was described as being “in a lot of pain”, was then lifted into the taxi and driven to the hospital by the defendant.
Defending, Eva Russell said Stoican did “everything he possibly could to attend, reassure and assist” the women, and was “very remorseful”.
She told the court: “Mr Stoican consciously chose not to park his vehicle in the designated parking and this was a saving measure on his behalf.
“He is mortified about what happened next.
“Immediately hearing something had happened, he jumped out of the vehicle to attend to the victim. He reassures me that he not only did that, but he also asked her if he should call an ambulance and offered to take her to Bournemouth Hospital.”
Stoican claimed he had parked with one wheel on the curb, and it was his releasing of the handbrake which caused the car to roll forward - not any acceleration.
The court also heard how the defendant “failed to carry out the usual checks” because he was fearful of being fined for parking on double yellows.
Summarising the case, Martyn McCarthy, chairman of the magistrates, said: “Simplistically, that day is when somebody’s life changed forever and it changed because you weren’t prepared to spend five pounds.
“I feel very sorry for the victim.”
Stoican, of Vernon Road in Portsmouth, was given a 12-month community order with 300 hours of unpaid work.
He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £114, costs of £85 to the Crown Prosecution Service and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
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