The horrifying moment an electric scooter crushed a vet’s skull as he ran a red light before fleeing the scene because he was not sent to jail

This is the terrifying moment a young e-scooter runs a red light and crashes into a vet, leaving her with a fractured skull as he flees the scene to avoid jail.

Joseph Pedelti, 34, ran a red light that was “very clearly visible” before crashing into Raquel Delgado-Kahlo as she crossed a crosswalk, court heard.

Veterinary surgeon Ms Delgado-Calo said she felt like she had been “hit by a bus”, left with a fractured skull and lacerations to her head and nose which left “permanent” scars.

Dashcam footage shows the moment a reckless Pedelty crashes into her at high speed before getting back on his scooter and driving off without checking her.

The court heard that Pedelty had gone for a ride on the electric scooter to “clear his head” before the crash in Portsmouth, Hants.

On Wednesday he was disqualified from driving for 18 months and handed a community order for the same period after admitting causing injury by careless driving.

At Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court, prosecutor Giles Fletcher said Ms Delgado-Calo and her partner had returned from a holiday with their family before the incident on January 14 this year.

“She just came back from Spain with her partner,” he said.

“They got on a train from Gatwick and headed to Lidl for groceries.”

In her statement, Ms Delgado-Calo said: “We were walking, both of us dragging our suitcases.

“We approached the pedestrian crossing, as soon as we approached, the red light came on and the car stopped.

“I turned right and took a step, and I felt a strong impact.

“Now I have the feeling that it was like a heavy slap.

“I was on the road thinking I had been hit by a bus.

“I lifted my arms and legs to make sure I could move.

“I could feel blood running down my face and something like meat between my teeth.

“Only then did I realize that I had an accident. I was told that I was hit by a man riding an electric scooter and he got back on the scooter and drove off.”

The court heard that an ambulance attended and took her to hospital, where she was treated for “deep lacerations” to her forehead, stitches to her nose and a fractured skull during her three-day stay.

Ms. Delgado-Kahlo was left with scars on her face that were “gone but will be there forever.”

Speaking about the CCTV footage of the incident which was handed to the court, Mr Fletcher said: “The defendant does not stop when he is riding the scooter.

“He is driving a vehicle that is not insured.

“He failed to follow a red light which was very clearly visible.

“He did not stop at the scene and caused serious injuries.

‘He disappears.

“You can see the surprise of the victim’s partner.”

In a victim impact statement, Ms. Delgado-Calo said she had to take three weeks off work as a result and undergo another three-week phased return to work.

She said she suffered from concussion for eight weeks and dizziness that forced her to cancel surgery at work, as well as “constant anxiety” when crossing the road.

The court heard that Pedelty has 10 previous convictions and was disqualified from driving for drink driving in 2021.

In mitigation, Ronnie Pittman said he got on the scooter to “clear his head”.

She told the court that he contacted the police after a media appeal to find the driver of the electric scooter.

“He was very keen to get his point across,” she said, “he mistakenly failed to see the seriousness of the incident at the time.”

“When the media reported this, he was shocked and horrified by the injuries this woman had suffered.

“He accepts his actions and this incident.”

Addressing him, Chief Magistrate Ryan Rutledge criticized him for not stopping to check the welfare of his victim.

However, given his “remorse of conscience”, he handed Pedelti an 18-month community order that required him to attend 20 days of rehabilitation and alcohol treatment.

Magistrates disqualified him from driving, including electric scooters, for 18 months.

Pedelty, of Waterlooville, Hants, was also fined £120 and ordered to pay costs, bringing his total financial penalty to £319.

That conviction also included charges of riding a scooter without insurance, failing to stop after an accident and failing to stop at a red light, which he also admitted.