Out of control Willenhall driver jailed after injuring pedestrians
A speeding driver returning from a night out drinking who lost control of his S-type Jaguar hitting a pedestrian has been jailed for 18 months.
The car spun across the street before careering into two friends walking home in New Road, Willenhall, following a night out, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.
Then Renato Cauzo drove off, revealed Mr Paul Spratt, prosecuting.
Metal worker Geoffrey Fergusson was left with a broken left hand, two displaced fractures to vertebrae in his back and injuries to his face, knee, foot and leg.
He was taken to Walsall Manor Hospital before being transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.
His friend David Bentley also needed hospital treatment for cuts, bruises and a hip injury, the court heard.
Near tragedy struck when Cauzo overtook another vehicle on a wet road too close to a mini traffic island and several bollards around 11.30pm on October 1, said Mr Spratt.
The driver, who had a female passenger, lost control sending the car broadside across the road into a 180 degree spin, striking the pedestrians.
Mr Spratt concluded: “The defendant did not stay at the scene. He had consumed alcohol and had been driving at excessive speed.”
He was on the limit when breath tested four hours later when police tracked him down, leading experts to estimate he could have been almost twice the legal maximum when it happened.
Cauzo from Cornwall Gate, Willenhall admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was jailed by Judge James Burbidge QC.
