A teenager who was knocked off his moped by a speeding driver has been permanently disabled and not left hospital since the crash. Kyle Smith, 17, from Sandiacre, was riding his moped when he was hit by a Seat Ibiza close to the junction of London Road and Warwick Street in Derby in September 2021.
The driver, Isaac Yearby, 22, of Alvaston, Derby, was jailed for 28 months at a hearing at Derby Crown Court on Tuesday (February 7). He previously pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, after the court heard that he had been travelling at a speed of 60mph in a 30mph zone at the time of the incident.
Kyle's family has now revealed the devastating impact his injuries have had on his life, as reported by Derbyshire Live. As a result of the incident, Kyle suffered a severely traumatic injury to the brain and has remained in a disordered state of consciousness.
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He is unable to hold his head up or to purposefully move himself without support and requires round-the-clock support and monitoring. His family also said it is not clear how much he understands what is going on around him as he cannot speak or reliably communicate with his relatives and carers.
Kyle’s mum Louise said: “It’s been more than a year since Kyle’s crash, but the moment I was told what had happened to him is still so vivid that it feels like yesterday. I will never forget that day. Our lives have been turned upside down and things will never be the same again.
"Before the accident, Kyle was always so full of fun and laughter. He could light up any room. He was a brilliant brother to his sisters and I was so proud of him."
At the time of the crash, Kyle had just started a bricklaying course at Derby College having done his GCSEs in the summer of 2021 and was enjoying his studies. He lived at home with his mum Louise, dad Scott and his two younger sisters and had lots of friends.
Around 17 months on from the crash, Kyle has still not been able to return home. From being an inpatient in Nottingham and Leicester Hospitals, he moved to a specialist neurological rehabilitation unit in Sheffield in September, where his care includes input from neurology and neuropsychology specialists, physiotherapists and a nursing team.
Speaking on her son's life since the crash, Louise said: “Watching Kyle struggle like he does now is heart-breaking and we all wish we could do more. I travel to see him in the rehabilitation unit in Sheffield pretty much every day now. I want to see Kyle and be there for him, but I also have Scott and our girls to think about.
"Kyle’s sisters have been through so much as well, seeing their older brother as he is now. As his family, we want to be strong for him, but it is so difficult and we know things will never go back to what they were like before.
"We’re thankful that Kyle is still with us, and he’s young so we are always hopeful. I just want to hear Kyle’s voice again and for him to smile at me like he used to.
“While none of us can turn back the clock and change what Kyle has been through, we’re grateful for this week's sentencing as at least he now has some justice and we can move on. No sentence will ever make up for what happened and the impact the actions of Mr Yearby have had on Kyle and on us as his family.
"He has taken away Kyle’s future. We just hope that by speaking out we can help prevent something similar happening to others. We urge road users to take care as we wouldn’t want anyone else to suffer like Kyle has.”
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