A driver twice the legal limit for cannabis who hit a cyclist 20 feet into the air, while overtaking another vehicle at a set of traffic lights, causing serious injuries, has avoided jail.
CCTV footage of the shocking incident in Blackburn, Lancashire, in August 2023 was shared on Facebook and shows the moment drug driver Danial Arshad lost patience with a stalled motorist and overtook in the lane for oncoming traffic, causing a head-on collision with Nicholas Cooper.
Arshad pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving and was sentenced at Preston Crown Court to a 10-month sentence, suspended for two years, and received a three-year driving ban, the Lancashire Telegraph reported from the sentencing.
The court heard Mr Cooper "was very fortunate not to have died" and the collision was a "very severe impact all because you [Arshad] were impatient to get around a car that had stalled at the lights".
Mr Cooper's injuries were so severe that there was a risk of paralysis throughout his time in hospital. He also suffered a collapsed lung and fractures to his ribs and spine.
Arshad was found to be positive for cannabis at twice the prescribed limit when he was drug tested by police, the court hearing that his impatience caused the serious collision at the Four Lane Ends junction at around 7.40pm on Thursday 31 August 2024.
In a statement read out in court, Mr Cooper said he feels he "partially died in the incident" and he is "mourning the loss of who I was before".
"During my time in hospital, I lost my dignity but I felt at my most vulnerable when I was discharged," the prosecutor read on the cyclist's behalf. "I was a very good racer and going against the best in the world, and I lost that opportunity and will never get it again as cycling was so much part of my identity."
The judge, Richard Gioserano, described the incident as a "close call" and said it was clear Arshad being "impatient" and "under the influence to some extent of cannabis" had caused it.
"Mr Cooper was very fortunate not to have died, and this was of course a very severe impact and all because you were impatient to get around a car that had stalled at the lights," he told the court.
"Your view was restricted by the car that had stalled, and you were under the influence to some extent of cannabis. You are of previous good character, and you are genuinely remorseful, and you continue to demonstrate that. You have been fortunate, and I hope this is the last time a criminal court will see you."
Arshad's legal representation suggested in mitigation that the drug driver had described his actions as "the worst mistake of my life" and he would never forgive himself. He is required to undertake 15 days of rehabilitation activity and 300 hours of unpaid work as part of his sentence. He has also been suspended from driving for three years.