Dashcam catches moment drunk driver flips car over, causing fireball on A14 in Cambridgeshire
Watch the moment a drunk driver slams into a Mitsubishi causing it to flip over and skid along the A14
Dramatic video footage has captured the moment a drink-driver crashed into the back of another car on a busy A-road, flipping it onto its roof and sending it skidding along the carriageway.
Nilen Chauhan, 27, was behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Polo when he slammed into the back of a Mitsubishi L200 on the A14 at Bar Hill in Cambridgeshire at 6.35am on 14 September last year.
Its driver survived the collision and was able to walk away.
Chauhan was breathalysed by police by the roadside and found to be nearly three times over the drink drive limit.
The crash was captured by a dashcam in the cab of an HGV driver, who swore and exclaimed “Jesus Christ! Oh my God!” as he watched events unfold.
A loud bang is heard in the dashcam footage, and the Mitsubishi is seen rolling then skidding along the motorway on its roof, with smoke pouring from it and a stream of bright orange sparks.
Another black and white static camera on the motorway shows Chauhan’s vehicle travelling at speed and hitting the back of the car in front, with a bright flash of light against the central reservation soon after they collide.
At Cambridge Crown Court, Chauhan admitted drink driving and driving a vehicle dangerously, Cambridgeshire Police said.
The force said the defendant, of Westrow Gardens, Ilford, east London, was sentenced at the same court on 26 February to a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.
He was also given a three-year driving ban and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
After the ban, Chauhan must also take an extended driving test.
Witnesses told Cambridgeshire Police that they had seen Chauhan weaving between lanes and cutting other vehicles up at speeds of “well over 100mph” for about 10 miles before the crash.
The force said several empty beer bottles and a bottle of whisky were found inside Chauhan’s car.
He was breath-tested at the roadside and recorded 104 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, three times the legal limit of 35 micrograms of alcohol.
PC Ben Patten said: “This was not a momentary lapse in concentration or an honest mistake, it was a prolonged period of driving at excessive speed, tailgating and undertaking vehicles, all while well over the drink-drive limit.
“The victim who was hit by Chauhan suffered many physical and mental injuries and it is miraculous neither he or another innocent member of the public going about their daily business was not more seriously injured or worse.”
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