Man from Ripon spared jail after dangerous driving caused multi-car horror crash leaving two seriously injured

Nathan Herrington, 25, was racing another man in a BMW when the crash occurred on the A6108, causing “terror” to other motorists, York Crown Court heard.

Several vehicles were damaged in the pile-up and four motorists were injured, said prosecutor Kelly Sherif.

Two of them, including a 67-year-old woman who worked as a TV producer in Yorkshire, suffered grave injuries.

She suffered a double leg fracture and the other badly injured victim, a man who was named in court, suffered a broken ankle.

Herrington, from Ripon, admitted two counts of causing series injury by dangerous driving and appeared for sentence yesterday (4 July).

Ms Sherif said Herrington had two passengers in the BMW when he was racing at excessive speeds on April 30 last year.

In a harrowing statement read out in court, the female victim, who has produced award-winning documentary series, said that when Herrington’s BMW struck her driver’s side it was “like an explosion” and crushed the side of her car against her leg.

She was “thrown to the left”, suffered a double fracture of the leg and was bleeding from the nose and mouth, said prosecutor Kelly Sherif.

The victim said that when she saw smoke coming from the dashboard, she thought: “That’s it, this car is going to explode and I’m going to die.”

“The explosion shook me to the core,” she added.

“I thought the (driver’s) door was attached to my right leg.”

She said that at the time her daughter was pregnant with her first grandchild who was born two weeks after the accident, which meant that, due to the seriousness of her injuries, she missed seeing him in the first weeks of his life.

She had to wear a protective boot on her ankle for four weeks following the accident and developed an infection where the leg was broken.

She now had restricted mobility and felt like “an old and frail woman”.

“I’m more reclusive, completely uncreative,” she said.

It had put a hold on her career as an independent television producer and she now felt like she had “shrivelled”.

Defence barrister Kristina Goodwin said Herrington had never been in trouble before, was genuinely remorseful and otherwise had a clean driving licence.

He had a good job and was essentially a carer for his partner who depended on him financially.

If Herrington were jailed, he would lose his job and their home.

Judge Simon Hickey slammed Herrington for his “deliberate decision to disregard the rules of the road” which had “caused terror to four different motor-car users”.

“Two other vehicles were damaged and a number of people were frightened and injured,” he added.

He said that Herrington was driving a “high-powered car at far too high a speed”.

He described the dangerous driving as “competitive racing” but that he had to consider the delay in the case reaching court, Herrington’s remorse and the fact that he would lose his home, his job and possibly his relationship if he lost his liberty.

The judge said it was a “difficult” sentencing exercise, but he had been persuaded to spare Herrington jail because “you would lose your home (and) your relationship, and your partner would lose her home and her carer”.

“With great reluctance, I’m going to suspend (the inevitable jail sentence),” added Mr Hickey.

Herrington, of Long Row, West Tanfield, was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence with 200 hours of unpaid work and ten rehabilitation-activity days.