Heartbreak for family as victim of hit-and-run dies of Covid
A DAUGHTER has spoken of her heartbreak after seeing her father die from Covid after he was the victim of a hit-and-run driver in Birmingham.
Father of five Robert Field, 66, suffered horrendous injuries after David Hassall ploughed into him while “showing off” to friends.
Jennie Bashford told Birmingham Crown Court: “We were happy he would be fixed but we were very wrong and he was rushed into intensive care 48 hours after the accident. The image to this day still haunts me of my dad when he was told he would lose his leg. I have never seen so much pain on his face.
“He was confirmed as having Covid and I had the horrible feeling he would not come home.
“We received the call we had all been dreading and we got to the hospital as soon as possible but he deteriorated further. Every day since then has been a struggle for the family. Not a day goes by when I do not think of him.
“Losing someone during Covid makes everything so much harder. It has affected me as a person, it has affected my marriage and left me very angry.”
Hassall had been driving a Vauxhall Corsa on February 22, 2020, on Hoggs Lane, Northfield, when he hit Mr Field. Police later calculated he had been travelling at 66mph before the crash, more than twice the speed limit.
The victim was later taken to hospital with a chest injury, fractures to his ribs and vertebrae and injuries to his legs so bad he had to have his left leg amputated to the knee. He later died from complications caused by Covid.
Police inquiries lead to Hassall who had attempted to cover up what he had done by getting the damage to his car repaired.
Hassall, 33, of Overbury Road, Northfield, was found guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court last November. He was jailed for three years and four months.
Judge Simon Drew KC said: “It is clear from the facts of the case your driving was the result of showing off to your friends who were in the area of the shops close to where the collision took place. You failed to stop at the scene leaving a man seriously injured in the road.”
He said it the evident from the victim impact statement read out by Mr Field’s daughter that his death had a considerable impact on the family.