Teen driver who crashed into man and left him with life-changing injuries is jailed
An 18-year-old who crashed into an elderly man's car while driving away from police, leaving the victim with life-changing injuries, has been jailed.
Martin Ward, 18, was involved in a collision on the A449 north of Penkridge on the afternoon of February 4 this year, having been spotted driving a black Ford Fiesta erratically on the M6.
The car failed to stop for officers and subsequently hit a Vauxhall Astra near the Dunston Business Village. The driver of the Vauxhall, a man in his 60s, was taken to hospital by ambulance.
He sustained injuries including a broken neck, back, sternum and ribs; liver damage, lung contusions, a dislocated finger and broken teeth.
In his victim personal statement, read to Stafford Crown Court, he said: “No punishment will truly reflect the pain and suffering I have gone through.”
Ward, of Oldbury, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, going equipped for theft of motor vehicle, aggravated vehicle taking and disqualified driving.
Yesterday he was sentenced to three years in jail and banned from driving.
PC Matt Brailsford, of the Staffordshire and West Midlands Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “The injuries the victim sustained as a result of Ward’s reckless driving will have long lasting effects for both him and his family.
“I welcome the court’s decision to ban Ward from driving for four and a half years.”
