Dangerous Driver Sparks £585,000 Blackwall Tunnel Chaos
18-Year-Old Causes Early Morning Crash
Johal Rathour, 18, from Bridge Road, Grays, wreaked havoc in the early hours of 6 August 2021. Driving a stolen Range Rover, he crashed headlong into a Mercedes van at 4.22am. Luckily, the van’s driver escaped serious injury — but the damage was extensive.
Massive Damage and Tunnel Shutdown
The smash caused £80,000 worth of damage to both vehicles. But the real cost was to London’s transport network. The Blackwall Tunnel was shut for over two hours during peak rush hour, costing Transport for London a staggering £585,000 in lost revenue and disrupting thousands of commuters.
Fleeing Driver Caught by Police
After the crash, Rathour bolted from the scene. But Met Police officers from the Road and Transport Policing Command tracked him down using forensic evidence and his mobile phone. Though he initially skipped bail, he was finally arrested again in January this year.
“Rathour was guilty of an incredibly dangerous piece of driving and it was a miracle that nobody was seriously injured,” said Police Constable Adam Lamb, lead investigator. “Watching the video of him driving the wrong way through the tunnel is very distressing — a fatal crash seemed inevitable.”
“Besides the damage, he caused major disruption to thousands of people’s journeys. I’m glad he’s finally faced justice and will be off London’s roads for years.”
