Zebra crossing horror leaves junior doctor in prison and four injured

James Celaire ran into the two mums and the children aged six and four at 8.20am on December 9, 2020 at a zebra crossing on Hudson Avenue, Great Horton, Bradford.

Celaire, 25, of Ingram Street, Holbeck, Leeds, was jailed for two years and four months after pleading guilty to four offences of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

His barrister, Sarah Barlow, said it was ‘overwhelmingly likely’ that he had briefly fallen asleep after working a 12-hour night shift at Bradford Royal Infirmary during the Covid pandemic.

Prosecutor Chloe Fairley said one of the mothers thought the Suzuki driver was ‘an impatient bad boy racer’ when the vehicle left a line of cars and accelerated on the wrong side of the road.

She cried out for the children after she was hit and then recalled being taken by ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary.

A second mother was also struck and catapulted into the air. She was thrown against a tree, Miss Fairley said.

CCTV of the crash and pictures of debris and clothing strewn on the road were shown to the court.

The first woman sustained life-changing injuries, including multiple facial fractures and a limb-threatening injury to her left leg. It was broken at the knee and the ankle and despite multiple procedures she had it amputated on January 5, 2021.

The six-year-old boy had a skull fracture and a fractured left leg that was in a frame for three months. The four-year-old child suffered a fractured left tibia and both young victims may need further operations, the court was told.

The second mum sustained a fractured leg and shoulder injuries. She too had a frame attached to her leg for a lengthy period of time.

Celaire remained at the scene and said that he was the driver. He disclosed that he had been on a 12-hour shift at a hospital and shouldn’t have driven home.

He said ‘his eyes were going.’ He was tired, lost concentration and heard a loud bang.

He told the police he was driving home from the 8pm to 8am shift at Bradford Royal Infirmary and was unfamiliar with the road.

A victim personal statement from the woman that lost her leg said that her life changed forever that day.

She was in immense pain after the crash and couldn’t understand what had happened.

Surgeons tried to save her leg but couldn’t. She was a young wife with children and had suffered life-changing injuries.

She told how she felt a huge sense of loss and cried all the time.

She had suffered multiple fractures and needed skin grafts on both legs.

“The accident has turned my life upside down,” she said in the statement, made in August this year.

She had flashbacks and nightmares and needed further operations.

She was forced to be dependent on others and didn’t know if she would ever work again.

Sometimes it was only seconds before she had to sit down. She was extremely traumatised, upset and very anxious.

“I don’t want my children to think they will have to look after me when they get older,” she said.

She had sought psychiatric help and rarely left the house.

“My heart is broken,” she said. “I’ve not only lost my leg but my dreams, hopes and desires.”

The son of the second woman said her physical and mental health had been severely affected. She was constantly questioning why this had happened to her and wondered if she would ever feel safe crossing the road again.

Another family member said that suddenly there was no laughter in the house anymore, just silence.

The court heard that Celaire had no previous convictions.

His barrister, Sarah Barlow, conceded the devastating effect of the injuries and said Celaire was ‘deeply and genuinely horrified’ by what had happened.

He told his probation officer he was more tired than he had appreciated. He was a junior doctor at BRI and had not taken time out before starting his foundation year. He was working 12 hour nightshifts during the pandemic.

Character references showed that he was a man of exemplary good character. He had always worked caring for people, mitigating harm rather than causing it, Miss Barlow said.

He rendered assistance at the scene and had genuine and heartfelt remorse that was very real and continuing.

He had returned to work knowing that his career could be brought to an end by this.

“This case will inevitably put his career at real and serious risk,” Miss Barlow stated.

He had made ‘a tragic but one-off error of judgement’ by deciding to get into his vehicle that day.

Judge Jonathan Rose said Celaire was a man of previously impeccable good character and genuinely remorseful.

The first victim was waiting on the pavement at the crossing when he lost control of his vehicle. The children were knocked down and the second woman was catapulted into the air and hit a tree.

The Telegraph & Argus requested a police custody picture of Celaire, but West Yorkshire Police said one was not available as he was postally requisitioned and never arrested.