Hampshire driver Louis Bond, 24, jailed for hitting elderly woman after his dog distracted him

Louis Bond left the woman, 78, with two broken legs, one broken shoulder and a bleed on the brain after driving through a red light.

The pensioner spent more than three months in hospital and can no longer walk without a frame following the crash in Mulfords Hill Tadley, Hampshire, on January 17 last year.

Bond, 24, from Tadley, was jailed at Winchester Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He has also been banned from driving for two years after his release from prison.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokeswoman said: ‘Louis Bond was arrested after his BMW collided with a pedestrian when he went through a red light.

‘His dog had jumped from the back of the vehicle on to the passenger seat, causing Bond to turn around to put the dog in the back seat.’

PC Chris Brown, of the force's roads policing unit, added: ‘This case should serve as a warning to dog owners about just how dangerous not securing your dog in the car can be.

‘The victim was left with extremely serious injuries and it is lucky that she was not killed.

‘I want to remind people about the serious consequences that come with distractions when you're behind the wheel.

‘The Highway Code says that all animals must be kept suitably restrained in a vehicle so they do not distract or injure you, and we have seen here that failure to do so can be so dangerous.

SEE ALSO: Pest controller called to report of rat in Southsea flat – which turns out to be escaped hamster

‘Please make sure your pets are secured, not just for their safety but for yours and other people's safety as well.’