Man 'lucky to be alive' after fracturing neck in Fenland crash caused by disqualified drug driver

A man is “lucky to be alive” after a disqualified drug driver crashed into a Fenland ditch.

David Stewart, 38, was under the influence of cannabis as he drove along the B1040, towards Warboys, on 10 December, 2021, crashing his van into the ditch at the side of the road.

The crash happened at about 11.40pm, throwing the passenger from the vehicle and leaving him with a fractured neck and arm, five broken ribs and injuries to his lungs.

Stewart has now been jailed for more than 18 months, with police saying he showed “no regard for anyone” when he got behind the wheel.

Huntingdon court heard that when emergency crews arrived at the scene of the crash, they found Stewart attempting to reverse out of the ditch, and both he and his passenger appeared to be intoxicated.

Stewart, who was arrested at the scene, had also broken his left leg in two places in the incident.

He tested positive for cannabis, and officers discovered he only held a provisional driving license, which had expired in 2021, and was disqualified from driving.

It was also found that the van’s offside front tyre had a tread depth of 0.7mm – under the legal limit of 1.6mm.

At Huntingdon Law Courts on Thursday (18 May), Stewart, of Gardener Crescent, Fenstanton, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by driving while disqualified, driving with no insurance, driving with no license, using a vehicle with tread below 1mm and driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit.

He was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison and disqualified from driving for two years.

DC Dominic Hyde, from Cambridgeshire Police, welcomed the sentence handed out.

He said: “Stewart endangered the lives of his passenger and other road users, as well as himself.

"He showed no regard for anyone when he got behind the wheel, not only under the influence of drugs, but also with no insurance and no driving licence.

"Both him and the passenger are lucky to be alive.”