Van driver fell asleep, crashed and badly hurt rear passenger

CASUALTY WAS WITHOUT SEAT OR SEAT BELT

- By TOM MACK

A LEICESTER man who crashed while on his way home from London has been jailed for the serious injuries caused to one of his passengers.

Haron James, 22, right, was driving along the A14 in Northamptonshire in the early hours of Monday, November 4, after working a 13-hour shift, when the crash happened.

As well as two passengers in the front of the Mercedes Sprinter, James, of Stokes Drive, New Parks, illegally had one other passenger sitting in the back of the van without a seat or any way to strap himself in.

James, who later said he had consumed a Red Bull before setting off and felt fine to drive, fell asleep at the wheel while he had cruise control on and the vehicle crashed off the A14, over a grass verge and into the barrier, sending the passenger in the rear crashing into the side of the van and suffering serious injuries to his head and neck.

James was jailed for 26 months.

Northamptonshire Police said in a statement this week: "A 22-year-old driver has been jailed after admitting seriously injuring his passenger in a single-vehicle collision after falling asleep at the wheel.