Drink driver jailed for causing serious injury by dangerous driving

NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE

A ‘selfish and senseless’ man who drank nine pints of beer before getting behind the wheel of a van has been jailed for causing serious injuries to his passenger in a road traffic collision in February 2023.

Thomas Doran, 40-years-old, of Poplar Terrace in Keighley, has been found guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and assaulting an emergency worker and was sentenced to four years and six months in prison on Wednesday, 9 April at Liverpool Crown Court.

On Saturday 25 February, Doran was driving a white transit van eastbound on the A18 accompanied by his passengers, a man and a woman known to him, before he pulled into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

The van spun in the road forcing the rear doors to open, causing the 41-year-old woman who was sat on a makeshift seat, without a seatbelt, to be ejected into the road where she suffered extensive head injuries.

Whilst emergency services responded to the scene, Doran assaulted a paramedic who was assisting the lifesaving care of the woman.

Officers conducted a roadside breath test which revealed Doran was almost twice over the limit and he was subsequently arrested. Doran refused to provide a sample for blood alcohol analysis.

Officers from our Roads Policing Team launched an investigation and through CCTV enquiries, they were able to conclude that Doran entered a pub on the A18, located one mile away from where the collision occurred, that afternoon along with his passengers.

The CCTV footage showed Doran leaving the pub a few hours later and getting into the driver’s seat, with the man and woman accompanying him, having drunk nine pints of stout.

Officer in the case, Wade Cruse from our Roads Policing Team said: “This case is a stark reminder of how the reckless decision of driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs can have devastating consequences.

“The driver made the decision to put others lives in his hands while impaired, including those closest to him, and the outcome could have been much worse.

“Doran is an utterly selfish and senseless man who willingly gambled with the safety of himself, his passengers and innocent members of the public.

“This was a series of dangerous and poor decision making. Driving after several pints, having passengers in the vehicle, and then showing violence towards first responders trying to help. The short distance from the pub to the collision is all it took to turn a day out into a lifelong ordeal.

“Drink and drug driving is never just about you, it’s about every passenger in your vehicle and every other road user who could be affected by your actions. In this case, a passenger who trusted him paid the price.

“We have recently launched our One Second Roads Crime campaign which aims raise awareness of the devastating consequences of driving dangerously. Driving under the influence, speeding, using your phone, or a reckless judgement, just one second of these decisions can destroy lives forever. No journey is worth that risk.

“We continue to encourage members of the public to report any road traffic offences and dangerous driving to us by calling our non-emergency number 101 or 999 in an emergency, to help hold drivers like Doran to account for their actions.”

You can also submit video evidence of driving offences that you or other members of the public have witnessed via our online reporting tool Op Snap.

Find out more about our One Second campaign here.