Mansfield man faces prison term for for multi-car smash which left him with a broken back and others with serious injuries

Ty Chapman fled from police while high on drugs in a car with a false number plate on August 30 last year, causing a six-car pile-up at the junction of the A611 Derby Road and the B6139 Coxmoor Road, near Kirkby.

Nottingham Crown Court was shown video footage of the police pursuit when Chapman appeared on Friday, March 5, with officers reaching speeds of upto 113mph trying to catch him up.

He was seen overtaking rows of cars on the wrong side of the road and running red lights prior to the collision, which happened when he again tried to run a red light on the wrong side of the road and smashed into oncoming traffic.

Chapman’s silver Honda Civic smashed head on into a Kia vehicle, flipped around smashing into another car, then travelled through the air, crushing the roof of an Audi TT and trapping the female passenger inside, the court heard.

The woman received severe back and chest injuries and said in a statement to the court that “her life would never be the same again”, said Esther Harrison, prosecuting.

Chapman broke his own back in the collision and also had to be cut from his vehicle and his passenger, identified in court as Levi Robinson, was also left with spinal injuries and a perforated bowel.

Others involved reported more minor injuries but many said the crash had left them with severe emotional problems, with one woman saying she was now terrified of driving, the court heard.

Chapman, 26, of Rowen Close, Forest Town, had admitted two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, furnishing false particulars as the keeper of a vehicle, driving with no insurance and driving without a licence, when he appeared before Nottingham Magistrates’ Court in February.

Mitigating, Richard Thatcher said that it was a miracle that nobody had been killed in the incident.

He told the court: “At no point has he tried to minimise what happened - he attended the police station to be interviewed in a back brace, and it was clear to officers that he was too unwell.

“He knows what he did and he knows how he drove and he continues to suffer from the same emotional trauma as many of those involved.

“It’s one of those cases where it really is a genuine miracle that nobody was killed.

“Knowing that he should not have been on the road, he simply panicked and he drove in a truly horrendous fashion, but it was in many ways out of character.

“He knows he will go to prison because there’s no option and some will say, ‘so what, he’s brought it on himself’.

“He’s a Type 1 diabetic and he’s going into an environment where he will be on lockdown for 23 hours a day to try to reduce Covid infection rates, and into an environment that will put him at greater risk.

“He says he never wants to sit behind the wheel of a car again.”

Chapman had been due to be sentenced today, but Judge Julie Warburton remanded him into custody until Monday to further consider his punishment.

Editor’s message: In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Ashley Booker, editor.