Man jailed for two-and-a-half years after Kirk Hallam van crash

A 38-year-old man has been jailed for two-and-a-half years after he admitted crashing into a line of people waiting for a food bank to open in Kirk Hallam.

Martin Casey was behind the wheel of a Ford van which collided with a number of people outside the Kirk Hallam Community Hall in Kenilworth Drive on Friday 5 July, 2019.

Casey left the road in his Ford van and hit five people. One woman hit by the van suffered a fractured neck, ribs and ankle – with another suffering a fractured skull and a bleed on the brain. She now also suffers from seizures as a result of the accident.

Nottingham Crown Court heard today that Casey had crashed into the same building just a week before and then had another collision just days later in Long Eaton.

Casey, of College Street, Long Eaton, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and one count of dangerous driving following a collision between the same van and the community centre on 26 June, 2019.

He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison and was disqualified from driving for three years.

DC Scott Cooper said: “Each and every driver that gets behind the wheel of the car is taking on an enormous responsibility.

“It may be an everyday activity but as myself and my colleagues see on a daily basis a simple drive can be fatal.

“On this occasion sheer good fortune meant that nobody was killed by Martin Casey when he drove into a line of people simply waiting outside a community centre.

“In the days leading up to the crash in Kirk Hallam, Casey had several other collisions with vehicles and it must have been clear to him that something was wrong.

“Instead of doing what he morally and legally should have – in stopping driving and informing the driving authorities – he put himself and every other road user at risk.

“His other collisions were relatively minor and involved other vehicles. On that Friday morning those standing in line were seriously injured and everyone involved will live with the memory of that incident for the rest of their lives.

“I hope that today’s sentence brings some closure for those who are injured, gives Casey time to think about his actions and serves as a lesson to every other road user about their responsibilities.

“The DVLA lists more than 80 different conditions that, if you suffer from, you must inform them of. Failure to do is illegal and, as was seen in this case, can potentially lead to very serious injury and even death.

“If you believe that someone is driving and is unfit to do so then you can contact your local police force in confidence and help protect everyone on our roads.”