A 42-year-old man who crashed his car while drug and drink driving, seriously injuring two of his passengers, has been jailed.
The court heard that the man consumed both wine and cocaine before getting into his car with his friends on August 29, 2020.
Police and ambulance crews attended the scene of the accident in which all three occupants of the vehicle were injured, one sustaining life-threatening injuries. Police officers identified a dashcam inside the car and found footage of the driver speeding at 75mph through a 30mph zone, ignoring red lights, mounting the kerb, and dangerous overtaking.
PC Christina Lane, from the Sussex Roads Policing Unit, said: “I examined the dashcam footage from the vehicle involved in this incident, and it was shocking.
“The driving was dangerous from the start of the journey until the crash, and included driving at grossly excessive speeds throughout.”
The prosecution called an expert witness who stated that the defendant reached speeds of 74.5mph in the 30mph zone before losing control and crashing.
“There were several near misses with other vehicles and the vehicle is even shown to mount the pavement and central reservation on a dual carriageway,” she said.
“That mounting of the pavement early on in the journey should have been warning enough, but [he] continued to drive, eventually crashing into a garden wall and leaving his front seat passenger with near-fatal injuries.
“The risk to other members of the public on the roads was astounding, it’s a miracle there weren’t more victims of [his] recklessness.”
Following his arrest, the man told police he had drunk a bottle and a half of wine before getting behind the wheel.
Blood tests proved positive for both alcohol and cocaine, finding 159mcg alcohol and 176mg cocaine per 100ml blood. The legal limit for drink driving is 80mcg while for drug driving under the influence of cocaine the limit is 50mg.
The man originally appeared before Crawley Magistrates on September 4 last year where he was ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work with a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement and pay £85 costs and a £95 victim surcharge. He was also banned from driving for 28 months.
He then appeared at Lewes Crown Court to plead guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving leading to a custodial sentence of two years and seven months. His driving ban was also extended to three years and three months.
About Carl Millar
Carl Millar is a highly respected and experienced drink driving solicitor who is the principal of Millars Solicitors.
Carl has been a specialist in road traffic law for many years and represents clients from all walks of life and all over the Country. He is well known for the dogged defending of his clients and robust cross examination of police officers and exert witnesses.
With a wealth of expertise in motoring law Carl is well placed to provide advice over the phone and deal with all road traffic matters in a calm and professional way.
Getting in contact with Carl and Millars Solicitors is really easy. You can call him FREE on 0800 999 5535, or click here to send a confidential message.
