Man jailed after pair seriously injured in collision

A 43-year-old man has been jailed and banned from driving for over a decade after seriously injuring two people in a collision near Bristol Airport.

Leigh Brean, of Lawrence Road, Wrington, was jailed for three years and two months in prison, and was told he was not allowed to drive for 11 years and seven months.

The sentence comes after he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and for failing to provide a specimen.

The court was told how, on 28 October 2023, Brean had been driving a Volkswagen Tiguan with two passengers along the A38 near Bristol Airport following a night out.

In a five-hour period, Brean had drunk 10 pints before getting behind the wheel of the car.

Once on the A38, Brean overtook two articulated buses (bendy buses) on a stretch of road where overtaking is not permitted.

He struck one of the buses and collided with a Fiat 500 travelling the opposite direction.

Officers arrived at the scene and suspected Brean of drink driving, however he pleaded his innocence and insisted he was not the driver and refused to complete a roadside test.

The female victim was placed in a coma for two months following the collision and sustained traumatic injuries to their arm, which had to be amputated at the elbow. She also sustained injuries to her leg and brain.

The other victim suffered significant internal bleeding and bruising.

The family of one of the victims, who asked not to be named, said: “The best part of this sentence was the length of the driving ban.

“We are aware of how many careless drivers there are on the road and the fact that there is one less on the road is a very welcome prospect.

“We hope that other judges in the future may make note of this aspect of Brean’s sentence.”

At the sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday 7 January, Judge Martin Picton said: “Your decision to drive when drunk has resulted in the infliction of unimaginable harm to (your victim).

“She was someone full of energy and enthusiasm for life and a successful businesswoman. She was physically very active both at work and at leisure.

“As a result of your actions, her life is now a shadow of that which it once was and she will never recover from the harm you caused when you chose to drive dangerously and when heavily intoxicated.

“Your remorse will provide no comfort to the female victim, her family or her partner who has also suffered harm as a result of being in the car at the time of the collision.”

Officer in the case, DC Victoria Anderson, said she hoped Brean’s conviction will ‘serve as a strong deterrent’ to anyone considering getting behind the wheel of a car when they are under the influence of drugs, alcohol or decide to drive in a dangerous or erratic manner.

She added: “This case has shown how the impact of one decision can have a life-long impact on all those involved.

“The victims and their families have shown incredible strength and resilience in the face of such adversity and their patience as they waited for justice to be served has been rewarded.

“But they now have to live with the impact of one individual’s complete recklessness.”