A SEETHING Sedgley woman has lashed out at a lenient sentence for the driver who left her facing a lifetime of pain.

Claire Macmanomy is still coming to terms with her injuries after being struck by a skip lorry whilst out riding a horse last February.

The 41-year-old civil servant spent a month in Russells Hall Hospital after the incident in Gospel End Village.

She sustained three broken vertebrae and severe bruising to her ribs and shoulder blade following the collision.

The driver of the skip lorry, Colin Guest, from Turls Hill Road, Coseley, left the scene without leaving his details.

His disappearance sparked a major media appeal and although he never came forward at the time, he was spotted in a pub and reported to police.

Last week Mr Guest, aged 47, was fined £255 and given five penalty points after pleading guilty to failing to report an accident within 24 hours.

Angry Claire now wants the matter taken further, she said: "He showed no remorse at all at the time and was more concerned about his wing mirror before driving off, leaving myself and the horse badly injured.

"I still don't know whether I'll be able to ride again and I still don't know what the long term prognosis is.

"I am relieved that Mr Guest has now admitted that he was involved in the collision as he failed to come forward.

“I consider he should now be prosecuted for either driving without due care and attention or dangerous driving. I continue to suffer from the injuries he caused and face a long recovery with uncertainty for what the future holds".

Claire has launched a campaign to raise awareness of road safety and the use of horse tail cameras, she is also pursuing a claim for compensation after being forced to take six months off work.

The horse she was riding, called Red, suffered a series of lacerations and punctured her eye, but has since recovered.

However her owner, Kay Hill-Sayce, who was walking alongside the horse at the time of the incident, is still traumatised.

Claire said: “She still suffers from it. It has affected both her nerves and her confidence to the point where she doesn't want to ride anymore. She won't even go down the stretch of road where the accident took place.

"I still don't know whether I'll be able to ride my own horse Max again. I'm getting a great deal of help from the stables at the moment, because I've lost a lot of muscle and find it difficult to lead him. I'm doing everything I can to speed up recovery".