Man jailed after nitrous oxide-fuelled crash left passenger needing life-long care
A man has been jailed for three years and 11 months after seriously injuring a passenger in a crash after inhaling nitrous oxide whilst driving.
Mason Thornton, aged 21 from Ingleby Barwick, was driving with four passengers on board on Sunday 23 October 2022.
The group had been to a party together on the A1027 Billingham interchange when the collision happened.
One of the passengers, 25-year-old Harlan Moon from Billingham, requires life-long care for the injuries they suffered during the crash.
Thornton was charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving and supplying a psychoactive substance.
He appeared before Teesside Crown Court on Wednesday 4 September, where he was sentenced to a total of three years and 11 months in prison.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Harlan’s father Allan Moon said: “On 23rd October 2022 everything changed for us and our family. Harlan now requires 24/7 care and still is not home.
“I see my son laid in hospital and looking at him, it’s Harlan but I know that it isn’t my son that I knew before the collision. I struggle to comprehend this and worry that I will not get my son back."
He added: “Harlan had his whole future ahead of him and would often speak about marriage, children and the plans that he had. It was also time for Deb and I to enjoy time together again as a couple. Our children were grown up, independent and have their own lives to live. This will not happen now, our time will be helping Harlan and hoping that he will recover more and more each day so that he can have quality of life.”
Following the sentencing, Senior Investigating Officer, Inspector Stephen Clyburn, said: “Today has highlighted the tragic consequences of taking nitrous oxide whilst driving; a young man with his whole life ahead of him has been left with serious injuries and will now be in need of life-long care, changing his and his families’ lives forever.
“The aftermath of taking nitrous oxide, which is a class C drug, and driving can be catastrophic and I welcome the sentence handed to Mason Thornton today, though this is nothing compared to the life sentence Harlan and his family will now have to suffer.
“I hope this sends a clear message to others, particularly young drivers, that nitrous oxide is like any other drug and if you inhale it at the wheel you take a huge risk with not only your life, but the lives of others. You will be prosecuted and put before the courts.”
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