Reliving the moment when a car smashed into her son's pram still moves Feilding mother Lisa Nuku to tears.

Ms Nuku was pushing her 2-year-old son, Southern-Rome Nuku, across a pedestrian crossing on Feilding's Kimbolton Rd on March 2 when a car driven by Tania Nicole Bowater, 32, approached them.

Bowater, who was travelling at 50kmh, failed to see them and clipped the pram.

Southern-Rome was thrown on to the road, badly damaging his left hand. His ring finger needed amputating and his little and index fingers were operated on.

Ms Nuku was not injured.

Having pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving causing injury, Bowater was sentenced by Judge Les Atkins yesterday.

"There's some obstruction to the approaches to the pedestrian crossing that drivers would encounter," Judge Atkins told the Feilding District Court.

"That may indicate why [Bowater's] attention failed to be drawn to the child in the pram."

Earlier this year the matter was remanded for a restorative justice meeting. But the boy's family was not interested in meeting Bowater, defence lawyer Peter Coles said.

Ms Nuku has previously told the Manawatu Standard she wanted an apology from Bowater, but had received nothing. However, Bowater had written a letter which the police had not passed on, Mr Coles said.

"[Bowater] had tried from the outset to express her remorse and her real regret. She says in her letter she's a parent herself," he said.

"She's not someone who is in any way lacking empathy to a parent."

Judge Atkins disqualified Bowater from driving for six months and ordered her pay $400 emotional harm reparation.

Ms Nuku told the Standard yesterday that she had now received the apology letter.

Ms Nuku was reduced to tears when she recalled the crash.

"It can't be fixed now, she can't go back, we just have to move on and live with it."

Southern-Rome returned to kindergarten two weeks ago and is using the crossing daily.

"Every time we get to it he is always like ‘No, no, no Mum' and he doesn't want to go across.

"I get upset of course, but we've just got to deal with it. We're happy though, we're really happy now."

- © Fairfax NZ News