Rivenhall: Dangerous driver jailed over minibus collision

A drug driver responsible for a head-on collision that seriously injured two people has been sentenced to detention at a young offender institution.

Daniel Berncastel of West End Road, Tiptree, Colchester, appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday 18 June to answer two charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving following a collision last year.

The 19-year-old was sentenced to 23 months in custody after he pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

He must pay compensation of £500 to each victim and will be subject to a driving disqualification spanning two years and 11 months, with a mandatory re-test before he can hold a licence.

Daniel Berncastel admitted driving along Oak Road, Rivenhall, at around 9am on Thursday 6 July 2023, heading towards the A12 and travelling in excess of the 30mph speed limit.

As he took a left-hand bend at 50mph, he drove on the wrong side of the road, straight into the path of an on-coming minibus.

The ensuing serious collision rendered both vehicles write-offs.

Berncastel escaped with minor seatbelt-related injuries, but his passenger had to be cut-free from the Corsa he was driving by fire service colleagues before being air-lifted to hospital.

The teenage man sustained spinal injuries requiring on-going rehabilitation.

The driver of the minibus, which was adapted to transport people with disabilities and had five others on board at the time of the collision, was transferred to hospital after sustaining multiple injuries, including a partially collapsed lung and broken bones.

Tests revealed Berncastel was over the legal limit for cannabis at the time of the collision.

Catastrophic consequences

PC Matthew Mehen, from our Roads Policing Unit, said:

“The roads are for everyone’s use, but we all need to be responsible and share the roads safely and watch out for each other.
“Speeding in this way has impacted hugely on the lives of those involved, but was completely unnecessary and the collision could have been prevented.
“The speed limit is there for a reason and drug driving, under any circumstances, can have catastrophic consequences.”

Last year 43 people died on roads in Essex.

We will continue to work with partners in support of Vision Zero, our ambition to have zero road deaths in Essex by 2040 or sooner.

Help us reduce road collisions and casualties in Essex and make our roads even safer. Report instances of poor and dangerous driving through Safer Essex Roads Partnership's Extra Eyes initiative.

More than ever, irresponsible, dangerous and illegal road behaviour is being recorded by road users. Through Extra Eyes this footage can be sent to, and reviewed by, an investigator within Road Policing at Essex Police.

Find out how by visiting Safer Essex Roads Partnership website.