Harebrained Speedster Hits 108mph before Catastrophic Collision

A reckless driver, who later confessed to being an ‘idiot’, wildly sped his car up to a whopping 108mph, before a calamitous head-on collision with a van on a rural road. This foolhardy act left the other driver with grave injuries. The speedster, 27-year-old Leon Loftus from Daubney Street, Cleethorpes, then insensitively posted hospital photos of himself and his passenger, thumbs proudly aloft whilst the other driver languished in agony. Loftus admitted to causing serious injury by careless driving at Hull Crown Court. The incident, which occurred in dry, bright and sunny conditions, saw Loftus overtaking two lorries aggressively and at high speed, a dangerous manoeuvre that ended in disaster when he lost control of his blue Vauxhall Insignia on a blind bend near Langtoft, causing him to career into oncoming traffic. The van driver, who was only travelling at 30 to 40mph, had a split second to react before the horrific crash. The unfortunate driver was rushed to Scarborough Hospital with severe injuries including a fractured foot, dislocated toe, two fractured discs in his back, a wound to his left knee, a torn tendon, lung injury, and numerous bruises and grazes. The driver’s ordeal was further extended when he contracted cellulitis during his hospital stay. He later recounted his fear that the car would explode and his struggle to escape the wreckage through a broken window. Loftus, who had no previous convictions, later made full admissions in a police interview and confessed to his ‘stupid’ and ‘dangerous’ driving. Lisa Judge, defending, admitted that Loftus was ‘utterly traumatised’ by the catastrophic results of his actions. Judge John Thackray KC berated Loftus for his blatant disregard for road safety and noted that the situation could easily have resulted in multiple fatalities. Loftus was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence, a nine-month curfew, a three-year driving ban and 30 days’ rehabilitation. He will also have to pass an extended retest before he can legally drive again.