Chipping Norton driver jailed for seriously injuring two people during high speed crash

Lewis Smith, aged 25, of Old London Road, Chipping Norton, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court yesterday (March 16) to two years in prison after causing the serious collision in Chadlington.

Smith pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving after crashing his car at high speed with a Ford KA that was travelling in the opposite direction on the A361.

The crash on September 15, 2021, caused serious injuries to the driver of the KA, a woman in her fifties, and the dangerous driver’s passenger, a man in his twenties.

Smith, who has also been banned from driving for three years and must take an extended re-test before driving again, was arrested the day of the incident and charged on December 29 of last year.

PC Chris Weatherley, of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said that the sentence is a warning to dangerous drivers – and that their actions have consequences for the lives of other people.

He added: “I am pleased with the sentence handed out to Smith.

“This was a very serious collision which has not only effected the lives of those involved but their families and friends around them.

“I hope this sentence today serves as a reminder to people who chose to drive in such a manner that there are consequences not only for them but for others too.”