A driver who caused a devastating head-on crash on the A141 near March, Cambridgeshire, has been jailed for more than three years.
Dominic Johnson, 47, of New Malden, Greater London, is believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel of his van at around 5am on 29 June 2023. His Vauxhall Movano drifted into the opposite carriageway near March, colliding with a Suzuki Vitara before coming to rest 100 feet away in a field.
The Suzuki’s 56-year-old driver from Lincolnshire was trapped in his car and rushed to hospital with life-threatening head injuries. He spent two months in hospital and now suffers a traumatic brain injury, multiple fractures, and permanent mobility problems. He told police the collision “changed his life,” leaving him unable to work and reliant on a walking frame.
Johnson suffered minor injuries and was arrested at the scene. Police investigators reconstructed the crash using road marks and vehicle data, which showed Johnson’s van was on the wrong side of the road at impact and accelerating at 50mph. He later admitted in interviews he had only slept around four hours the night before.
At trial at Peterborough Crown Court, Johnson denied causing the crash, blaming the other driver. Jurors took less than an hour to find him guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
On 31 October, he was sentenced to three years and two months in prison and banned from driving for four years and seven months.
Detective Constable Niall Hamshere of the BCH Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “The impact of this collision on the victim cannot be underestimated. He now suffers continuous pain, anxiety, PTSD, and tinnitus, and missed his honeymoon after getting married just two weeks before the crash. Johnson’s driving was extremely dangerous, and he refused to admit fault.”
He added: “We may never know exactly why Johnson swerved, but drivers should never get behind the wheel when tired and must take regular breaks.”
