A drug driver caused serious injuries after he swerved and collided head-on with another vehicle near Chichester.
Charlie Bedworth, 37, failed to see a vehicle ahead of him indicating to turn right off the Selsey %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_0%% B2145 near Hunston. In an attempt to evade a %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_1%%, he drove into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
At the roadside, Bedworth %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_2%% a positive DrugWipe test for cocaine. The victim, %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_3%% 53-year-old local man from Selsey, was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries and continues to require ongoing treatment and rehabilitation nearly a year after the crash.
"Drug-driving and being distracted behind the wheel are two of the main factors in why %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_4%% on our roads," stated an official.
At Portsmouth %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_5%% on May 10, Bedworth, unemployed and from Justin Close, Brentford, admitted to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and drug-driving. He was sentenced to four %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_6%% for five years.
The court heard that the incident occurred at approximately 7.40 am on June 10 %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_7%%. A motorist in a Range %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_8%% ahead of Bedworth had indicated to make a right turn. Bedworth, %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_9%% in an Audi Q5, failed to see the vehicle braking for the turn. At the last moment, he swerved into the path of an oncoming Kia Picanto.
Bedworth %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_10%% in his body. His later %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_11%% showed he had 296 micrograms (ug) of the chemical breakdown of cocaine, called benzoylecgonine, per litre of blood in his body. The %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_12%% limit for this chemical breakdown product is 50ug per litre of blood in the body.
Initially, Bedworth claimed he had not taken any drugs and speculated he may have had a %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_13%% while dining at a restaurant. However, when %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_14%% could be wrong and if he had taken any drugs in the seven days prior to the collision, he refused to answer.
Investigating officer PC Tom Van Der Wee from the %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_15%% said, "Bedworth's driving was appalling and dangerous. Due to a distraction, he failed to see a vehicle slowing down, braking and indicating ahead of him, and reacted far too late. He swerved to avoid a collision with the vehicle ahead of him, but instead caused a devastating collision to the %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_16%% of the oncoming Kia. The case shows why we are determined to catch drug %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_17%% users. Bedworth is %%UKNIP_ANCHOR_18%% lucky not to have caused the death or further serious harm to himself and others that day.
