King’s Crash Driver Gets Off

Multi-million-selling horror writer Stephen King has expressed his anger over the news that the driver who ran him over last year is to escape jail. King was hit by a truck driven by 41-year-old Bryan Smith near his Maine summer house last June, throwing the writer 15ft into a ditch and causing major injuries which required five operations. Speaking from New York yesterday, King told the Express newspaper, "What he took from me - my time, my peace of mind, and my ease of body - are sinply gone and no court can bring them back." Smith struck a deal with prosecutors which prevents prison time, despite a driving history that includes a 12 month period where his licence was revoked and four convictions for speeding. Explaining the cause of the accident, Smith said that he did not see King on the road as he had been distracted by his dog.