Oswestry man locked up for causing 'huge smash' that flung his college mate from car window into the road
Jac Collison, now 20, crashed his souped-up Skoda Fabia on the A5 in January last year
An Oswestry man who crashed his high-performance car following a botched overtake, flinging his college mate into the road and leaving him seriously injured, has been sentenced to 18 months in custody.
Jac Collison, now 20, was out with two mates in his Skoda Fabia on the night of January 24, 2025, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard on Thursday (June 4).
Robert Edwards, prosecuting, said the trio had been chatting to a group in a red Ford Fiesta when they decided to go for a drive.
He said the Fiesta was ahead of Collison, who was driving his souped-up Skoda Fabia that had a sports exhaust and an intercooler fitted, as they drove down the A5 between Gobowen and Oswestry at around 10pm.
Mr Edwards said the Fiesta had been travelling on the single-carriage 60mph road at around 40-50mph with a car ahead when Collison pulled out from behind to overtake.
The barrister explained that the attempted overtake took place where there was “street furniture” in the centre of the road from the remnants of an old, disused railway line.
Mr Edwards said the road was narrow with “not much room to overtake” but added that Collison was “showing off”, hitting in excess of 60mph during the manoeuvre.
“He did not make the overtake,” Mr Edwards said, “and he collided with the street furniture.”
He said that Collison and the front-seat passenger were uninjured in the “huge smash” that saw the Fabia front end take the “brunt” of the impact.
Be he added that the pair soon realised their back-seat passenger, college friend Conner Smyth, was no longer in the Skoda.
Flung through a window
Mr Edwards said Mr Smyth, who was 18 at the time, had not been wearing a seatbelt and had been flung clear of the vehicle through a back side window; he found in the road 10 metres from the smashed-up Skoda.
After emergency services arrived, Mr Smyth was found to be seriously injured and rushed to hospital, suffering blood loss. He required stitches to his scalp and his jaw was wired up, and he now faces lifelong problems with his legs.
Mr Edwards said that Collison, of Rock Farm, St Martins, had admitted a single count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving in March this year.
Joshua Daley, defending Collison, said the defendant had demonstrated “shame” for the crash and accepted he was “author of his own misfortune” but had no previous criminal convictions; he asked the judge to suspend any sentence.
Recorder Julian Taylor said that while Mr Smyth was not wearing his seatbelt, he added: “He would not have been injured if you had been driving in a sensible manner and he has suffered very serious injuries and has had a number of operations.”
He sentenced Collison to 18 months in custody, telling the 20-year-old he would likely have to serve 40 per cent of his sentence before release.
Collison was also banned from driving for three years and nine months.