Cabbie's coughing fit caused Leeds crash that left elderly friends with broken neck and spine

Shahid Nadeem’s Mercedes ploughed into the Ford Fiesta travelling in the opposite direction on the A65 near Rawdon Crematorium.

The women, one of which is in her late 80s, suffered serious injuries including a broken neck, spine and a compound elbow fracture.

Nadeem, 46, admitted two counts of causing serious injury through careless driving at Leeds Crown Court.

Prosecutor Charlotte Noddings said the crash happened at around midday on February 15 last year. The victims had been travelling to Pudsey to shop.

The silver Mercedes Vito appeared to veer off course, clipped a lorry and then smashed into the Fiesta. The incident was caught on dash cam and played to the court, in which Nadeem could be heard coughing relentlessly.

The driver suffered fractures to her neck and spine. Her passenger, who had to be cut from the vehicle by firefighters, also suffered fractures to her spine, her tailbone, and the fracture to her elbow in which the bone was visible. She required surgery to fit a titanium plate.

In a victim impact statement, read out by the 88-year-old passenger. She told the court that her “independence has been taken” from her.

She added: “I was fit and healthy and took good care of myself. I did not need any assistance.

“My social life is at a standstill. I fear for the future because I now know I will never make a full recovery. Things will only get worse. I’m afraid I will end up in a wheelchair.

“I will never be the same again. One split second, one careless driver and one life in ruins.”

A statement from the driver, read out by Ms Noddings, said she was still recovering and felt like a “burden on her family”.

The court was told that Nadeem, of Victoria Road, Keighley, was originally from Pakistan but had moved to the UK in 2003. He had worked as a taxi driver for more than 15 years.

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Mitigating, Stuart Field told the court: “There’s not a day goes by where he does not relive in his mind what happened and feels an enormous sense of guilt and responsibility.

“It’s only right I suppose that he should. From the outset it must be clear how apologetic he is for what took place.”

He said that Naseem had led a law-abiding and hard-working life. He conceded that Naseem should have pulled over when he started coughing. He can no longer work as a taxi driver following the crash.

Judge Anesh Pema gave him a two-year community order, with 300 hours of unpaid work and a driving ban for 18 months.