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A speeding driver with five passengers in his car lost control on a bend and ploughed into a barn. Three of Dylan Crocker's friends were seriously injured in the crash, which happened
shortly after midnight on Sunday, April 21, last year in Wolviston Village. The six friends had been drinking at The King's Arms in Billingham before leaving the pub in the blue Ford
Fiesta Zetec. One passenger got into the boot. None of the passengers were wearing seatbelts. Mobile phone footage shows the pals - who were all in their teens or early 20's - laughing
and in high spirits in the car, seconds before Crocker lost control on a sharp right hand bend. He was found to have been driving between 39 and 64mph on Coal Lane in the seconds before the
crash. He was doing 39mph in the 30 zone, on impact with the barn wall. On Friday, Teesside Crown Court heard how the "cowardly" driver ran off, as his passengers were heard
moaning in pain, and people nearby ran out to help. After a conversation with "an intoxicated man" who arrived in a taxi and was heard telling Crocker to leave before the police
arrived, he fled. The court watched police bodycam footage showing villagers telling police that Crocker "was hiding behind the bushes." When he was found, he told police: "I
have been drinking, but I haven't been driving no car." A roadside breath test revealed that he was twice over the legal alcohol limit; but he later refused to take a
legally-recognised breath test at the police station. The court heard moving statements from the two women who were injured in the crash. The third victim, a man, didn't give a
statement but his mother described how she had to stay at home and "bath him, take him to the toilet - which was embarrassing" as he was discharged from hospital with two broken
arms and his leg in a plaster cast. The court heard that the victim was "immobile and unable to look after himself." The second victim, who is now aged 20, underwent surgery for a
shattered pelvis, which had become detached from her spine. She had to be treated for blood clots and was diagnosed with PTSD. She said, "...at times, I don't want to be here
anymore. I'm terrified to sleep because of the vivid nightmares. "The loss of my independence has been humiliating. I needed help with the most basic of tasks - even putting my
underwear on." The woman lost her job. The third victim's spine was broken in two places. She had been travelling in the front of the car, and she suffered a collapsed lung and had
several broken ribs. The woman underwent six hours of surgery to have rods and screws put into her spine, and had to learn to walk again. She said that she lost her job, after she was
unable to return because of her injuries. The front nearside tyre was found to be defective. The Ford belonged to one of the passengers. Crocker, of Avenue Vivian in Houghton-le-Spring,
later pleaded guilty to three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving; driving with no insurance and failing to provide a specimen. He passed his driving test two years before
the crash. Crocker previously admitted to police that he had been "driving carelessly" when he was involved in a serious crash on a bend in Northumberland in 2022. He wasn't
prosecuted on that occasion, but had to attend a safer driving course. In mitigation, Nathan Davis said that he disagreed with a pre-sentence report that found Crocker "has not taken
responsibility" for the injuries he caused. "There's nothing else he could have done," Mr Davis told the court, "he's accepted he was driving too fast. He has
no memory of the accident." Judge Peter Makepeace said that Crocker had "drunk a significant amount of alcohol" but the amount can't be known for sure because he refused
to take a breath test. The judge told Crocker that he had "learned nothing" from his driving safety course. "You drove too fast," the judge continued, "you were
clearly distracted in the vehicle. You drove into a barn and you made off from the scene. That is extraordinarily cowardly - you left people seriously injured in the road. "You told
police you weren't driving. You couldn't have done more to try and worm your way out of it. I think a lack of maturity was a key factor- a youthful disregard for safety. You were
showing off." The judge handed Crocker a 30-month term in a Young Offenders' Institution. He is likely to serve 40% of his sentence, before being released on licence. He was
disqualified from driving for 36-months. After the sentencing, Detective Constable Rachael Johnson, from Cleveland Police, said: “This crash was horrific and has had long-lasting effects
upon those involved, leaving some with both severe physical and psychological suffering. “Crocker left the scene to try to evade police and avoid the consequences of his actions. He was an
inexperienced driver who was under the influence of alcohol, he had been driving at more than twice the speed limit and he was not wearing a seatbelt. In a video recording taken moments
before the collision, he was also clearly distracted. Not one but all of the ‘fatal four’ factors have been evident in this collision. “I welcome the sentence handed to Dylan Crocker and
hope it sends a stark message to all drivers that taking risks with lives can have devastating consequences. This collision has certainly completely changed not only the lives of the injured
passengers, but also those of their families. “I’d like to express my thanks to those members of the public at the scene who assisted the passengers until emergency services arrived. They
also helped to locate the driver who had left the scene. They did a remarkable job; thank you to all those people.” FOR DAILY NEWS FROM TEESSIDE'S COURTS DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX, GO HERE
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