Moment speeding driver crashes after cocaine and wine binge captured in 'shocking' dashcam footage

'Shocking' police dashcam footage has captured the moment a speeding driver smashed his car, leaving one of his passengers with life-threatening injuries.

David Head, 42, had consumed wine and cocaine before getting behind the wheel of a Renault Megane on August 29, 2020.

Dashcam footage from Head's car shows him driving at speeds of nearly 75 miles per hour in a 30 zone, before he drives through red lights and mounts the kerb.

The driver was jailed this week after he caused life-threatening injuries to his passenger in the crash in Crawley, Wast Sussex.

Head and another passenger were also injured in the smash.

Head was seriously injured, and his two passengers were also seriously injured, one of whom was lucky to survive.

Inside the car, police were able to identify a dashcam which showed the vehicle driving at nearly 75mph in a 30mph zone, dangerous overtaking, driving through red lights, and the vehicle mounting the kerb.

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."

Expert witness found Heads drove at speeds reaching 74.5mph in a 30mph zone shortly before losing control and crashing the car, she added.

“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.

“That mounting of the pavement early on in the journey should have been warning enough, but Head 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 Head's recklessness.”

Head told police at the roadside he had consumed a bottle and a half of wine before driving.

Tests also showed he had taken cocaine. His blood was tested and it revealed he had 159mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood - double the legal limit.

He also tested positive for 176mg of cocaine per 100ml of blood, more than three times the legal limit of 50mg per 100ml.

Head, of Colwell Road, Haywards Heath, previously admitted drink driving and drug driving at a hearing before Crawley Magistrates’ Court in relation to the same case on September 4 last year.

At the time he was sentenced to 180 hours of unpaid work, 25 rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) sessions, £85 court costs and a £95 surcharge. He was disqualified from driving for 28 months.

Last week, Head appeared before Lewes Crown Court, where he admitted causing seriously injury by dangerous driving.

Head was this week jailed for two years and seven months and his driving disqualification was extended to three years and three months to reflect the time he will serve in prison.