Driver from East Sussex who left man needing leg amputation was checking social media before A27 crash

Police said Nathan Cole was distracted on the dual carriageway at Southbourne.

He failed to see a broken-down vehicle in the carriageway, and struck it at high speed.

It caused devastating injuries for the driver who was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.

Sussex Police said Cole later admitted that he had been checking social media on his phone prior to the collision.

Police said the victim underwent surgery for a leg amputation as well as treatment for other critical injuries.

Sussex Police is sharing the result of the case to highlight the dangers of driving at excess speed and driving while distracted by a mobile phone.

Police said Cole, 29, of Denton Drive, Brighton, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving at a hearing at Worthing Magistrates’ Court on April 8.

He appeared at Lewes Crown Court for sentencing on June 13, where he was sentenced to two years and four months in prison and was disqualified from driving for four years and four months.

The court was told how the incident happened at 12.10pm on December 13, 2023 on the A27 at Southbourne.

Sussex Police said dashcam and footage from inside Cole’s vehicle shows him being distracted inside the vehicle.

Footage from an internal dashcam suggested Cole was travelling at 72mph, which was 12mph faster than the speed limit for his vehicle.

Police said Cole failed to see the hazard ahead of him along a long, straight stretch of road.

The Volkswagen van he was driving collided with a Peugeot which had broken down.

Sussex Police said the driver of the Peugeot, a man in his 60s from Hampshire, was struck directly by the van and was taken to hospital.

He remained in a coma over the Christmas period, and required a leg amputation.

The victim’s family said his injuries and treatment are a ‘daily reminder of a tragedy that has reshaped every aspect of our lives’.

Speaking after the case, Detective Constable Sean Corbin from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “This was a shocking case which has changed the life of the victim and his family forever.

“Cole admitted that he was distracted while driving.

“He was extremely fortunate that he did not cause a fatal collision that day.

“His reckless driving posed a both to himself and to every other road user.

“It acts as a warning to all drivers not to be driving at excess speed and not to drive while distracted.

“Even a momentary loss of awareness can have devastating consequences.”