A FATHER-to-be has slammed the sentence given to a driver who knocked him off his motorcycle when she was more than twice the drink-drive limit.

Robbie Ballinger was riding his motorcycle home from work along the A449 Malvern to Worcester Road when a car pulled out of the Monksfield Lane junction in front of him.

The 21-year-old is still recovering from multiple injuries suffered in the crash and has told how immediately after the impact he lay on the ground unable to move.

His bike was badly smashed up.

As well as being upset about the sentence imposed, Mr Ballinger says he was enraged by a suggestion made in court that he may have switched his bike lights on following the collision, which happened at around 6.45pm on Saturday, March 7.

“I was driving back from work in Malvern. I was doing about 50mph on the 60mph road although conditions were good, but it was getting dark," said Mr Ballinger, who lives with his girlfriend Leigh Smith in St Peter's, Worcester.

"I saw the car approaching the junction and realised it wasn’t going to stop but I didn’t have time to do anything. I tried to swerve but I ended up hitting the bonnet and I flew about 25 metres through the air before landing on the ground.

“I lay there and realised I couldn’t move. There was a pool of blood around me and I just thought ‘this is it’.

"I thought of Leigh, who is 25 weeks pregnant with our child, and then I thought ‘I’m paralysed, I have a baby on the way, and I won’t be able to take care of my child’. I was awake through the whole incident.”

Mr Ballinger, aged 21, suffered a broken collarbone, a broken toe, a fractured arm as well as other deep cuts and bruises, but he says he is recovering.

Mr Ballinger is particularly upset at comments made in the hearing, which suggested he had switched his lights on after the collision.

“When I read in the newspaper that it was suggested in court that I turned my lights on after the crash, I could not believe it.

"First of all, with my bike there is no off switch for the lights, as soon as the engine is on the lights are on either dipped or full beam. Secondly, I was so injured I couldn’t move to turn the lights off. And as the pictures show there are no lights left on the bike after the crash.”

Belinda James, aged 64, of Priestfields, Hanley Castle, pleaded guilty to driving above the legal alcohol limit and to driving without due care and attention when she appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court last week.

The court heard she had blown a breath test of 77mcg of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath –the legal limit is 35mcg.

As result James was disqualified from driving for 20 months and fined £250.

For driving without due care and attention, her licence was endorsed, and she was fined £200.

In court her defence solicitor Rob Macrory said James was 'very ashamed' and had not driven since the incident.

“I just think the sentence is ridiculous," said Mr Ballinger.

"She’ll be disqualified for some months but will be back driving eventually and I could have lost my life. I’ve been off sick now, and my pregnant girlfriend has had to care for me when it should have been the other way round."

Miss Smith, aged 21, who had been best friends with Mr Ballinger for eight years before they became a couple seven months ago, said she thought she would lose him.

She said: “We were all at home waiting for Robbie to get back from work at One Stop in Malvern. He had just that day been promoted and we were going to go for a meal to celebrate. Then I got the call saying he had been in a crash and I couldn’t believe it. It was awful because we didn’t know how badly he’d been hurt.

“It makes me so angry. He would have been killed if he hadn’t been wearing all of his protective clothing and helmet. He is such a careful driver. To anyone thinking about driving after having a drink — do not do it. It’s disgusting. I thought I would have to explain to our child one day that daddy can’t be here with us because of someone else’s actions.”