Peter Buttery, 64, from Goole, was driving a Fiat 500 travelling towards Wetwang along the B1248, near Malton, on the afternoon of 6 August 2021.
He was in a line of traffic with other vehicles, including a Ural motorcycle. On the approach to a bend in the road, Buttery moved to overtake. As he did so, a Mazda MX5, travelling in the opposite direction, came round the bend. The Mazda braked, skidded and collided with the Fiat and the motorcycle, resulting in massive damage to all three vehicles.
The motorcyclist, a man in his 60s, suffered serious, life-threatening injuries including broken vertebrae, broken ribs, a broken wrist, a punctured lung and other internal injuries.
Two people in the Mazda MX5 also suffered serious injuries, including broken bones, facial scarring and nerve damage.
Following an investigation by North Yorkshire Police, Buttery was charged with three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Following a trial he was found guilty on 19 September 2024. On 24 October, at Hull Crown Court, he was jailed for three years and 10 months, with a three year and 11 month driving disqualification with the need to pass an extended driving test.
In a victim personal statement given to the court, the injured motorcyclist wrote: “The collision forever will have a profound effect on me, physically and mentally.”
He described not being able to walk more than 200 yards without the use of a walking stick, bend over, have a bath, or get an uninterrupted night’s sleep.
He added: “One thing that I still struggle with is that I can never canoe, sail, go camping, backpacking or hiking ever again. It really hurts to know this. I am trying my hardest to have some sort of normal life, but it’s hard.”
After the sentencing hearing, TC Joseph Schramm, of North Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Group, said: “The evidence showed that Buttery was on the wrong side of the road leading up to the collision, conducting an overtake in a dangerous location. Despite this, when interviewed he tried to blame one of the victims for the collision, took no responsibility himself, and showed no remorse throughout the trial. It is right that he has now been held to account for his actions.”
