Driver jailed for crash that caused life-changing injuries in Cambridgeshire
Dominic Johnson blamed victim after causing the serious crash on the A141.
A driver who caused a head-on crash on the A141 near March, leaving another man with a traumatic brain injury, has been sentenced to three years and two months in prison.
Dominic Johnson, 47, from New Malden, Greater London, drifted into the opposite carriageway just after 5am on 29th June 2023 while driving a Vauxhall Movano van. He collided with a Suzuki Vitara, causing life-threatening injuries to the other driver, a 56-year-old man from Lincolnshire. Johnson’s van left the road, ending up about 100 feet away in a field.
The victim had to be cut free from his vehicle and was hospitalised for two months due to extensive injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, numerous skull fractures, and fractures to his limbs, pelvis, ribs, and spine. He now requires significant care, uses a walking frame, suffers from continuous pain and PTSD, and has been unable to return to work since the crash.
A forensic collision investigation established that Johnson’s van veered into the wrong lane at the point of impact. The airbag data module in his van revealed he was steering at a 40-degree angle to the right at the time of collision and had accelerated to 50mph without braking.
Enquiries by police found Johnson had likely slept for only a little more than four hours in a Coventry hotel the night before the crash.
In two interviews with police, Johnson persisted in blaming the other driver for the collision, even submitting a prepared statement to that effect during his second interview. He denied the charge and took the case to trial at Peterborough Crown Court in August, where the jury deliberated for less than an hour before finding him guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
On 31st October, the same court sentenced Johnson to three years and two months in jail. He was also banned from driving for four years and seven months.
Detective Constable Niall Hamshere, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said the victim’s life had been permanently altered by the crash:
“In a victim impact statement considered by the court, he explains how his life has been permanently altered by the crash, including losing his job, having surgery at hospital and suffering from continuous pain, anxiety, PTSD, and tinnitus. Having got married two weeks before the collision, he has also never got to enjoy a honeymoon.
“Johnson’s manner of driving was extremely dangerous and he refused to admit he was at fault, continuing to blame the other driver and taking the case to trial.
“We may never know if Johnson fell asleep at the wheel or what caused him to swerve into the other lane – but we would always urge drivers not to get behind the wheel when they’re tired and to take regular breaks.”