Dangerous driver in Sheffield damages seven cars in one crash while injuring colleague he was giving a lift

A dangerous driver from Sheffield put his colleague in hospital when he decided to hit 60mph on an industrial estate only to end up damaging seven cars.

James Collins, of Earl Marshal Road, was giving his coworker a lift at 4.50pm on October 5, 2022, when he chose to take his chances driving at double the speed limit down the 30mph Petre Street, in Brightside.

However, this left the 46-year-old no time to react when another car reversed on the road right in front of him.

At Collins’ sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court today (April 30), CCTV showed how Collins’ Vauxhall Astra crashed into the front of the reversing car, careened out of control and hit four other vehicles before being brought to a stop by a brick wall.

“That car rocketed along the road, obviously in excess of the 30mph speed limit,” said His Honour Judge Jeremy Richardson KC.

“It was a very nasty accident - no, not an accident, it was a very deliberate bit of bad driving.”

The impact with the brick wall caused debris that damaged another parked car, bringing the total number of vehicles caught up in the crash to seven.

Meanwhile, Collins’ colleague in the passenger seat suffered a fractured sternum, ribs and wrist, the last of which required surgery two weeks later.

Collins - who pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving - was sacked from his job following the crash.

The judge said: “You have lost your job. You have brought misery on another man who you injured, and you have brought misery upon yourself and your family as a result of your deplorable driving.

“You are a hard working individual, but you have committed a shocking crime.

“If not for your guilty plea and had this been a trial, you would have richly deserved the two years prison sentence this would carry.”

Instead, Judge Richardson handed Collins a two year prison sentence suspended for two years, 250 hours of unpaid work, 30 days rehabilitation work and an electronically monitored curfew for four months.