A HEAD-on collision was caused on the infamous Gil-Gal bends near Littleport when teenage mechanic Kieran Hughes overtook cars on a dark wet night and ploughed into an on-coming van. The 18-year-old was in hospital for one month, suffered a fractured skul

A HEAD-on collision was caused on the infamous Gil-Gal bends near Littleport when teenage mechanic Kieran Hughes overtook cars on a dark wet night and ploughed into an on-coming van.

The 18-year-old was in hospital for one month, suffered a fractured skull, broken leg, broken nose and broken jaw, and he lost several teeth in the crash.

And the driver of the other vehicle, 56-year-old Tony Mears of Ely, was in hospital for many months, he had head injuries, fractured ribs, fractured leg, he suffered MRSA in hospital and suffered memory loss.

Hughes appeared before Ely magistrates on Thursday, when he admitted driving dangerously at Chettisham on November 28 last year.

"There was mud on the road, it was greasy and there were warning signs about the mud," prosecutor Emma Dmitriev told the court.

Mitigating, John Aspinall said Hughes could not remember the accident, his first memory was waking up in hospital.

He had been driving home from his job with Marshalls in Ely at the time of the accident, and had been overtaking two vehicles on the bends when the collision occurred.

"He does not regard himself as a careless driver, he has always been careful to drive in a sensible manner. But for reasons he cannot explain, he drove in a manner that was far from sensible.

"Unfortunately an accident occurred, and he is apologetic for what happened."

Imposing an interim driving ban on Hughes and adjourning sentencing until July 20, presiding magistrate Lt Col Johnny Kaye said: "This was a negligent act that caused injury. There was a head- on collision when you overtook more than one vehicle on a bend.