A RETIRED headteacher who suffered life-changing injuries in a horrific crash has revealed her grief after the TEXTING driver who caused the terrible accident was handed just six points on his licence.

Ann Snowdon was on her way back to Reading when a car, driven by reckless nightclub doorman Gregor Jurcic, veered into her and forced her to crash into a third vehicle.

Firefighters had to free trapped Ms Snowdon from the wrecked vehicle before she was flown to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. She suffered numerous fractures to her right leg and needed surgery.

Since the horrific crash near Warfield, Bracknell, Ms Snowdon has suffered with flashbacks and recurring nightmares leaded up to the moment before the collision.

Jurcic, 28, admitted driving without due care and attention and was ordered to pay a fine of £247. His licence was docked by six points and slapped with a 12-month driving ban.

Ms Snowdon slammed the sentence, adding: “The crash was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life, and it still haunts me now.

“I have been left with life-changing injuries, while the man who caused them gets a punitive sentence. He would have walked from court with nothing but a lighter wallet if he didn’t already have enough points on his licence to warrant an automatic ban.

“There is no excuse for using a mobile phone at the wheel. My life has changed beyond recognition and all for a momentary lapse which could have been so easily avoided.

“Whilst Government has recently increased sentences for drivers caught using their mobile phone, I feel more needs to be done to discourage drivers from being distracted."

Magistrates sitting at Oxford Magistrates' Court on March 3 heard Jurcic was distracted by his mobile phone when the crash occurred, having sent texts from the handset just minutes before.

He admitted in his police interview following the accident, and again at his sentencing, that he was using his phone at the traffic lights shortly before where the accident took place.

Jack Lloyd, lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing Ann, said: “This was an easily avoidable accident, which highlights the importance of drivers taking care to avoid all distractions when behind the wheel.

“While it is a relief to Ann that the driver in this case has received a ban, it can’t change the fact that her life has been irrevocably changed and she will have to endure many hours of painful and challenging rehabilitation before she can gain anywhere near the level of independence that she enjoyed before the accident.

“We welcome the new government plans to impose stricter regulations on drivers using mobile phones."