BMW driver jailed after boy, 7, badly hurt in A259 crash

A man who seriously injured a seven-year-old boy in a crash on the A259 Marsh Road has been jailed, police said.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Feb 2019, 16:10 BST
Updated 18th Feb 2019, 10:30 BST
The crash scene (inset: Shane Taylor). Picture supplied by Sussex PoliceThe crash scene (inset: Shane Taylor). Picture supplied by Sussex Police
The crash scene (inset: Shane Taylor). Picture supplied by Sussex Police

Shane Taylor, 33, of Levett Avenue, Polegate, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving under the influence of a drug in his system – a byproduct of cocaine, according to police.

Police said unemployed Taylor appeared before Hove Crown Court on Wednesday (February 13) where he was jailed for three years.

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Taylor was also disqualified from driving for 51 months – the ban to begin on his release from prison – and ordered to take an extended driving test before re-applying for a licence, police added.

The crash happened shortly before 2.45pm on Friday, March 30, last year when Taylor’s BMW 5-series car – which was travelling westbound on the A259 between its junctions with Green Lane and the B2095 Top Road, Hooe – left the carriageway and collided with roadside trees and signs, police said.

Police said the child involved, a rear seat passenger who cannot be identified for legal reasons, sustained serious, life-changing head injuries. However, he is understood to be making good progress.

Police said a 26-year-old woman who was the front-seat passenger suffered multiple injuries in the crash. Both she and the child were treated at King’s College Hospital, London.

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Taylor himself was also badly hurt, according to police. He was treated at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, for serious head injuries and fractured limbs. The incident led to the A259 being closed to traffic for five hours.

Following Taylor’s sentencing, PC Doug Park, of Sussex Police’s serious collisions investigation unit, said: “Sadly, this case underlines what can happen when driving at speed in adverse weather conditions after having consumed an illegal drug.

“All the car’s occupants were badly injured and it was only by sheer luck that no-one died and no other motorists were involved.”

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