Drink-driver mowed down couple in Weston-super-Mare and drove off
A couple were left with serious injuries after being hit by a drink-driver as their son watched on in horror.
Tyron Griffiths was over the drink-drive limit when he mounted a kerb in Weston-super-Mare while exiting a roundabout, crashing into Bernard and Joy Dodd.
He left the scene without stopping to check if they were ok and was found hours later, asleep in his car in Burnham-on-Sea.
Mrs Dodd, 67, suffered fractures to her left tibia, ribs, right elbow and right knee while her 69-year-old husband suffered a fracture to his right tibia, the court heard.
The investigating officer on the case has said it was only due to "sheer luck and the work of medics" Griffiths did not kill someone.
Griffiths, 32, of Talbot Close in Highbridge, pleaded guilty to two charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving on December 13, 2019.
Judge Michael Longman jailed him for two years during a hearing at Bristol Crown Court on Friday 9 April. He was also banned from driving for five years and told to pass an extended driving test.
The Dodds were on their way home from a coach trip to see a London show when the incident happened in the early hours of Friday 13 December 2019.
CCTV captured the moment when Griffiths' vehicle exited a roundabout on the A370 at Hildesheim Bridge, hit the kerb, mounted the pavement and hit the couple.
Leuan Callaghan, prosecuting, said the car "then drove off without stopping" and that crash scene investigators found no braking or accelerating marks on the road.
The Dodds' son David witnessed the entire incident from the other side of the road, having crossed the road before them.
In an impact statement, he said: "When they are lying on the ground, not knowing what's happened, I thought at that moment I lost them. I can still see it all. Both unconscious, eyes closed, not moving, bleeding from their heads."
Griffiths was found four hours later, asleep in his car in Burnham-on-Sea.
A back calculation estimated he was between 200 to 233 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The limit is 80.
Muhammed Hamid, defending, said his client was addressing issues with alcohol and needed help with ending his drink addiction. He also said Griffiths "extended his deepest regrets and most sincere apologies" for his actions.Investigating officer Dai Nicholas said the victims sustained "terrible injuries" because of Griffiths' "selfish decision" to drive after drinking alcohol.
He said: "Without wishing to downplay the seriousness of the injuries they sustained, people should be under no illusion that it's only through sheer luck and the work of medics that Griffiths did not kill someone.
"For a long time he refused to accept responsibility for his dangerous actions until being faced with overwhelming evidence collated by police. He drove off from the scene without checking on the two people he'd seriously hurt and initially refused to answer officers’ questions.
"We welcome the custodial sentence handed out to him today and hope it acts as a warning to others. Drinking alcohol before getting behind the wheel of a car is reckless and significantly increases the likelihood of a collision. It puts you, as a driver, at risk of harm but also innocent bystanders too."
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