A327 driver impaled by pole airlifted to Southampton hospital

The woman, who was 33 at the time, had two young children in the car with her during the terrifying incident.

She was driving her black Vauxhall Astra along the A327, Milney Road, in Blackwater, northern Hampshire, when a scaffolding pole fell off a Ford Transit flat bed vehicle travelling northbound.

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The pole impaled the car door next to her as well as her leg, leaving the Hook woman with a serious injury.

Thankfully, the children were unharmed.

She was taken to Southampton General by air ambulance for treatment.

In the wake of the incident, which happened between 11.45am and 11.54am on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, police put out an appeal asking for witnesses.

Eventually, the driver of the scaffolding vehicle - Peter Lee, 36, of Yorktown Road, Bracknell Forest - was charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

On Friday, he was sentenced to three years in custody at Winchester Crown Court.

Speaking after the sentencing, PC Rhiannon Gibson, of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, expressed her gratitude to the public for their support in getting justice for the woman.

She said: "I want to thank all the people who came forward following our media appeal. This information proved vital in our investigation."

She also reiterated how important it was for all drivers of flat bed vehicles to make sure their loads were safely tied up before setting out on a journey - to avoid incidents like this or worse happening.

She said: "I hope this sentencing shows how seriously we take cases like this and stresses the importance of load security on commercial vehicles. We regularly have to take action against drivers who don't properly secure their loads.

"The victim in this case has shown a lot of strength and we hope this sentence provides them with some peace."