A drunk usher kicked out of a Derby wedding for an argument with a bridesmaid lost control of his car and collided head-on with another vehicle.
The force of the impact was so great that all four other occupants, a woman, her son and his two friends, had to be freed from their car by the emergency services.
One of them, who was only 15 years old, suffered a fractured pelvis that limited a promising football and cricket career.
John Mumby, who had been spotted driving the lanes through downtown Derby 30 minutes before the crash in Little Eaton, was found to have hit nearly three times the legal limit.
Now the 25-year-old, who worked as a driver for a charity, tastes good for the first time in prison after 18 months in prison.
Matthew Smith said mildly, “He had been invited to this wedding where he was ushering, and he was a reluctant guest because one of the bridesmaids was his ex-partner.
“There had been a bitter split and the day he started drinking there was an argument and he was asked to leave.
“He can’t remember finding the hotel to stay in and where his car was parked, and he can’t remember driving it.
“He’s devastated by his thoughtlessness; it was a reckless decision to drive drunk.”
Prosecutor Sarah Slater said the incident occurred on the evening of September 17, 2019.
She said Mumby was seen dodging the lanes and climbing a sidewalk before coming to a stop on Cockpit Island.
Miss Slater said a driver lost sight of him near the BBC Radio Derby building but shared his concerns with police.
She said 30 minutes later the woman in the other car was picking up her son and his friends from the Little Eaton Cooperative and was driving up Alfreton Road towards Horsley Woodhouse when the defendant’s Suzuki swerved in her way and hit her head .
Miss Slater said, “She said she began her maneuver when she saw the defendant’s vehicle go around the corner in the opposite direction.
“She said he seemed out of control, then described a frightening blow that knocked her car 180 degrees and into an edge area.
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“The rescue workers arrived and had to rescue them all because of the damage and their injuries.”
Miss Slater read the testimony of the four occupants of the car.
The mother said she now feels “on the edge” when she drives and was unable to follow her passionate love for swimming in the months after the accident.
In her statement, she said, “It may seem like trifles, but it has had a massive impact on my life.”
Miss Slater said the schoolboy who suffered the fractured pelvis is a highly rated footballer and cricketer who says he now no longer has the strength or fitness to play at the high standards he had before the smash.
The defendant, who was living at Machon Bank, Sheffield, at the time of the accident and now lives on Bond Street, Wakefield, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury from dangerous driving.
He has already been fined for refusing to provide a breath sample for analysis.
Not only was he jailed, but he was also banned from driving for two years and nine months.
Recorder Stuart Sprawson, who jailed him for 18 months, said, “You were almost three times the alcohol limit and I have no doubt that because of the amount of alcohol you have consumed, you are in control of your vehicle have lost.
“I’ve seen the photos of the aftermath of the crash and they’re terrifying. One of your references comes from a retired school principal who has known you since you were 14 years old.
“She said you are deeply respectful. Well, you weren’t deeply respectful of the driver and the other vehicle was the young people. “
