Driver Flees After 100mph Police Crash, Officers Seriously Injured
Christopher John Nash sparked chaos in Murton during the early hours of June 17 last year. The 41-year-old tore through the streets at over 100mph, unlicensed and uninsured, before crashing head-on into a police car. Both officers in the patrol suffered serious injuries.
Crash Causes Brutal Injuries—Nash Found with Cocaine
Durham Crown Court heard how Nash fled the scene on foot after the smash. Police later found him hiding in a lock-up unit with a female passenger. A roadside drug test revealed he was under the influence of cocaine.
Nash stubbornly refused to give a blood sample at the station and denied driving the Ford Focus. But officers proved otherwise when they matched his DNA to the inflated airbag at the crash scene.
Serious Injuries and Past Offences
- One officer suffered a broken hip.
- Another fractured wrist after the collision.
- Nash admitted two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
- He also pleaded guilty to driving without insurance or a licence, and failing to provide a breath specimen.
- This wasn’t his first rodeo—he had previous drug-driving convictions, including one less than a month before this incident.
Prison and Driving Ban Deliver Justice
Judge James Adkin slammed Nash with a 26-month prison sentence and banned him from the roads for four years and one month.
A Durham Constabulary spokesman said: “This was a nasty incident where Nash drove at speed on public roads, showing total disregard for the safety of others. He crashed head-on into a marked police vehicle, then fled on foot while the officers needed medical care.”
“His DNA was recovered from the driver’s airbag, and we are pleased he received the custodial sentence his offending deserved.”
