Driver who ran down Amazon driver convicted of GBH
A man who ran down an Amazon driver, leaving him paralysed from the waist down, has been found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Chance Bright suffered a broken spinal cord when he was dragged along by a scrap van after his vehicle was stolen in Staffordshire on 4 March. Mitchell Rose, 27, of Walsall, was cleared of attempted murder at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court over the attack. Mr Bright said Rose "shook his head to tell me that he wasn't going to stop". Rose, of Redshank Road, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Brian Atkinson, 41, of Parker Street, Walsall, pleaded guilty to theft and was convicted of assisting an offender. Mr Bright, of Newcastle-under-Lyme, had delivered a parcel in Coven when he saw someone had "driven off" in his van. The former soldier, who was in his last week with Amazon before starting a new job, then noticed a yellow van coming towards him. "I was like a deer caught in headlights," the 23-year-old said. "I didn't know what to do so the first thing that came into my head was to jump so my leg would take the impact rather than my chest. "I passed out from the pain of being dragged along the tarmac." Mr Bright said he suffered "terrible" injuries, including deep gravel burns and a wound under his chin which needed 200 stitches. He added it was "early days" in his recovery but he was "still fighting" and was greatly helped by his family. "It's not all doom and gloom. I've still got my high spirits," he said. "I just take every day as it comes, try and make plans, set goals and keep pushing for the next one." Two women, Carol Davies, 39, of Yew Road, Walsall, and Emma Griffin, 34, of Field Road, Walsall, both admitted assisting an offender at an earlier hearing. Rose and Atkinson were cleared of conspiracy to steal. The four defendants will be sentenced at a later date. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone. Related Internet Links HM Court and Tribunals Service