A crash at a notorious crossroads on the outskirts of Yeovil left a woman paralysed and facing the rest of her life in a wheelchair, a court was told.

South Somerset Magistrates heard that the woman responsible for the two-vehicle accident was still haunted by the cries of the victims after she pulled out into the path of an oncoming car on Vagg Hill last October.

The other car was being driven by a man with four passengers, all adults with learning difficulties, when the collision occurred.

All the people involved were taken to hospital for treatment, with one of the female passengers suffering a fractured vertebrae.

Prosecutor Sarah Rhodes said the victim’s mother had written to the court saying that as a result of her injuries, her daughter would never be able to walk again and now needed 24-hour round-the-clock care.

Venita Jane Bullock, 32, of The Green, Ilchester, pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention on October 25 when she appeared in court on Monday.

Miss Rhodes said that Bullock was driving a Vauxhall Meriva car at 9.20am when she approached Tintinhull Road from Vagg Hill and pulled out to go straight across into Larkhill Road.

“She failed to see the Peugeot car and pulled out directly into its path causing her own car to tip over, leaving her having to be cut free by the emergency services,” she said.

“All the occupants of both vehicles were taken to hospital with injuries but the front-seat passenger in the Peugeot suffered fractures to their hand and the rear-seat passenger had a fractured vertebrae.”

Bullock was extremely distressed when she appeared in the dock and had prepared a written statement which was read to the court.

She said she had been driving to work when she stopped at the junction. She claimed she checked both ways before pulling out but did not see any oncoming traffic.

She said the sun was in her eyes when she slowly pulled across the road, before she felt the collision.

She said: “I remember people’s voices telling me not to move and heard the sounds of the other people’s voices and cries and it still brings me to tears when I think about it.

“The accident has impacted on my life and my children and I still suffer daily pain in my thigh and hip.

“I am very sorry at not seeing what was an oncoming vehicle and the resulting accident which caused injury to myself and others.

“It was a complete accident and I just did not see the car coming. If I had seen it then I would have waited before pulling out.”

Chairman of the magistrates, Veronica Horman, told Bullock it was her duty to be aware of other road users when she was behind the wheel, although they accepted it had been a momentary lapse of concentration on her part.

They fined her £100 and endorsed her licence with six penalty points. They also ordered her to pay £35 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.