Teenager sentenced over serious injury collision in Exmouth
A teenager has been jailed for 18 months and banned from driving for 10 years for causing a collision which left another driver seriously injured.
James Forrest-Hazell, now 18, was just 16 when the collision took place in Exmouth on 28 April 2023.
Forrest-Hazell, from Arena Park in Exeter, appeared at Exeter Crown Court for sentence on Thursday 12 December having previously pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
During the sentencing hearing the court heard how Forrest-Hazell was uninsured and unlicensed at the time of the offence, and was driving over the prescribed limit for a cannabis breakdown product.
On the day in question an unmarked police response unit was responding to an unrelated police incident in Exmouth with its emergency lighting activated.
The officer recognised the Ford Fiesta driven by Forrest-Hazell due to a previous failure to stop and noticed it increasing its speed.
The police officer followed the vehicle onto Dinian Way and saw it overtake other vehicles in a hash marked area while driving well in excess of the 30 miles-per-hour limit.
Forrest-Hazell then entered a sweeping right bend and mounted a grass verge as he lost control.
Forrest-Hazell’s vehicle then collided with a Fiat 500 waiting at the junction of St Briac Way, pushing that vehicle up into the air.
Forrest-Hazell then exited the vehicle and was arrested.
As a result of the collision, the driver of the Fiat suffered several fractures and a bleed on the brain. The collision continues to have an effect on her to this day.
The driver’s son also sustained a two-inch cut to his ear which required stitches.
In interview Forrest-Hazell told officers he panicked and accelerated when he saw blue lights come up behind him.
Sergeant Troy Bennett from the Serious Collision Investigation Team said: “James Forrest-Hazell was 16 years of age at the time of the offence and he should never have been behind the wheel of a car in the first place.
“In an attempt to flee from police his driving was dangerous. Not only did he drive at highly inappropriate speeds, but he also overtook other cars in a residential area of Exmouth.
“His reckless actions not only diverted an officer from responding to an emergency call, but ultimately led to him seriously injuring an innocent member of the public.”