Patrick Quigley, a 20-year-old Irish driver, caused a serious crash after a night of heavy drinking in Canterbury. The incident took place near Molash, Kent, following a dangerous wrong-way drive on the A252, The Street.
On the night of Saturday 2 September 2023, Quigley consumed a large amount of alcohol in Canterbury. The next morning, around 6.45am, another motorist noticed Quigley driving erratically near the city. Just 15 minutes later, Quigley was seen driving the wrong way down the A252 before colliding with a horsebox.
The horsebox driver sustained a broken ankle and required hospital treatment. Two children and a dog inside the vehicle escaped without injury. Unfortunately, the horses inside the horsebox were hurt in the crash.
Quigley was also taken to hospital for his injuries. A blood test revealed he had 132mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, significantly exceeding the UK legal limit of 80mg.
At Maidstone Crown Court on 4 July 2024, Quigley pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and drink driving. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and will face a three-year driving ban upon release.
PC Daniel Goodman commented, “Quigley’s decisions that night led to a serious collision which could have ended in tragedy. It is by sheer luck that nobody was more seriously hurt. Drink-driving is reckless, ruins lives and puts innocent motorists and members of the public at risk of serious injury. Kent Police take this criminality seriously and regularly carry out stop checks to ensure those behind the wheel are fit to be driving.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
