On Monday 25 January 2021, Jason Campbell was travelling over 60 miles-per-hour, twice the speed limit on Broad Oak Road, which meant he couldn’t stop his car quick enough to avoid colliding with a man who was crossing the street.

Officers from Kent Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit discovered that Campbell had tried to brake as he came around a corner and saw the man on foot, but he was driving too fast to be able to respond quickly enough.

The pedestrian was rushed to hospital with broken ribs, a broken shoulder, along with numerous other fractures to his arms and legs, and required an emergency blood transfusion.

Campbell, aged 52, of Vauxhall Avenue, Canterbury, told police in his interview that he believed he had been travelling within the speed limit but reports deduced he would have been doing between at least 62 and 63 miles-per-hour on impact. Campbell acknowledged that travelling at such a high speed would be considered very dangerous and later admitted to the charge of causing serious injury through dangerous driving.

He was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Wednesday 18 May 2022, to two years and five months in prison. He has also been banned from driving for three-and-a-half years and will have to re-take his driving test before he is allowed back behind the wheel of a car.

Detective Inspector Lynn Wilczek from the Roads Policing Unit said: ‘This is a prime example of the importance of speed limits. Whilst Campbell may never have intended to hurt anyone, his decision to speed that day has been very costly for an innocent person who is still suffering the physical and mental effects of his injuries.

‘Speed limits are there for a reason, they are not a target and should not be exceeded. You may think you are in control of your car but you have to make allowances for what other people might do and for changes in the road layout. Campbell took a corner in the road way too quickly and was unable to stop. As such he caused terrible injuries and now has to pay the price.

‘I hope that this sentence allows Campbell to reflect on his actions and serves as a warning to other motorists in Kent. You don’t know what is around the corner so don’t take unnecessary risks to your life or anyone else’s.’