AN AA recovery driver suffered a 'horrific' broken leg when a woman ploughed into the back of his van near Worcester.

Vanessa Godfrey, who has dementia, was deemed unfit to plead before a trial conducted in her absence at Worcester Crown Court yesterday.

The jury must assess whether the 59-year-old of Oak Row, Upton, ‘did the act’ alleged against her rather than whether she is guilty in the criminal sense of causing serious injury by dangerous driving in Pershore Lane, near Worcester at around 3.30pm on September 21 last year.

Matthew Barnes, prosecuting, described how AA recovery agent Christopher Brunger, then 29, suffered a comminuted fracture of the right tibia or shin bone.

The bone broke in more than two places when Godfrey crashed into the back of his stationary van in her Audi Q5.

The impact crushed Mr Brunger’s leg between his van and a VW Polo with a flat tyre belonging to Judith Gibbons whom he had stopped to assist.

The weather conditions were clear and the bright yellow van with red and yellow reflective lines was parked on a straight road with the amber lights on the roof flashing and hazards activated.

Witnesses Clive Green and Gary Martin both judged the Audi to have been travelling at around 45mph to 50mph and said it showed no signs of braking or of taking evasive action.

The Audi's airbags were deployed.

Clive Green, a driver for 44 years and former driving instructor was behind the Audi when the crash happened.

He heard Mr Brunger ‘screaming in pain’ and told the jury: “To be honest I was shocked.”

He said he heard Godfrey twice say say ‘I didn’t see him’.

Gary Martin also witnessed the crash.

He said Godfrey’s previous driving as she navigated the Sixways roundabout had been ‘erratic’, that she ran a red light, was taking a ‘racing line’ and ‘wandering’.

He said she struck the van with such force the back wheels of the Audi lifted off the ground.

Mr Brunger described 'a huge whack' followed by 'a horrendous constant pain' to his right leg.

He said: "I screamed out and looked down at my leg and saw it was poking out sideways at an angle from the knee down."

He hobbled to the verge before collapsing.

The trial continues.