An Ely man who caused the death of his front seat passenger and left his rear passenger with a fracture to his femur and a punctured lung has been jailed for more than two years.
Mark Garrod, 44, of Newnham Street, was sentenced to two years and three months behind bars at Cambridge Crown Court on Monday August 7 after pleading guilty to causing death by driving without due care and attention.
Garrod was driving a red BMW 325 CI at about 9.50pm along Branch Bank, Ely on June 1 last year (2016) when he lost control and collided with a blue Ford Focus Ghia.
He fled the scene and was later arrested after admitting himself to the emergency department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn.
His front seat passenger, Jahmel Rashane Grant, 20, of Grove Road, Kent, was pronounced dead at the scene. His rear passenger, a man in his 20s, sustained a fracture to his femur and a punctured lung.
The driver of the Ford, a woman in her 30s, and her two children aged six and one also suffered slight injuries.
The crash sparked a petition to improve safety along the road, led by Jahmel’s father Mel.
At the time, the 55-year-old said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous that they have the road like that. I think it’s disgusting that they haven’t done anything about it.
“For them to leave the road like that and do nothing about it is ridiculous, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure that something is done about it.
In March this year, the campaign resulted in the county council spending £165,000 to resurface the road, which was dubbed the most dangerous in the county.
Forensic collision investigator PC James Thorne said of the crime: “Instead of stopping and waiting for the emergency services, Garrod left the scene sparking a police operation.
“I welcome the sentence passed and hope this serves as a stark warning to the public that if you are involved in a collision you must stop, and where injury or damage is caused, you must report it to the police.”
Garrod was also disqualified from driving for four years.
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