A Weston General Hospital employee feels ‘lucky’ not to have suffered ‘catastrophic’ injuries, having been knocked off his motorcycle earlier in the year.

Peter James, who works as an emergency nurse practitioner in the trauma department, was travelling to work along the A371 at 7.30am on January 13 when he was struck from behind by a car, causing him to flip over his motorbike's handlebar and suffer 'serious' injuries.

He was preparing to leave the roundabout at the Landing Light Pub, in Beaufighter Road, when he was struck. He suffered five displaced rib fractures, a collapsed lung, a broken wrist and scaring.

Driver Vincent Tozer pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention at Bath Magistrates Court on August 23.

Tozer, of Knightstone Close in Axbridge, was fined £323 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £32 and court costs of £85. He was given six penalty points on his driving licence.

Peter believes Tozer was 'very lucky' with his punishment.

Peter said: "Without being vindictive, he (Tozer) was inches away to causing a fatality. He was very fortunate to get off so lightly. His punishment is a slap on the wrists.

"A few inches either way and he could have been facing a charge of causing death by dangerous driving."

The injuries meant Peter was in hospital for one month, which delayed his training to become an advanced life support instructor.

He said: "This could have left me with catastrophic injuries.

"I was told by hospital staff that without my armour on it could've been a fatality. I was lucky.

"Drivers' behaviour in Weston seems to be quite unruly. A lot of them seem to use the roads as their own personal dirt track which highlights their bad mentality.

"Unfortunately, staff in the trauma unit are kept in business by incidents such as these which can be entirely avoidable."

Peter, who lives in Bristol, has been a biker for more than 30 years and has an advanced motorcycling qualification.

He added: "In recent years I have seen drivers take more and more unnecessary risks, which are threatening to people like me, other cyclists and other drivers, too.

"The only reason I am alive is because I wore protective armour."