Man jailed after bus crashes into house in Bristol
The 22-year-old has been sentenced to 18 months after causing the crash in Bishopsworth - causing hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage
A man has been sentenced to 18 months behind bars after causing a crash that made a home in Bishopsworth 'unliveable'.
22-year-old Lawrence Salaou, of no fixed address, appeared today at Bristol Crown Court (April 20) after pleading guilty to dangerous driving for the incident on December 15, 2022.
In court, it was heard how Salaou was driving a VW Golf 'at speed' through a 20 mile an hour zone, through a red light, and into a bus.
The bus then veered off the road and collided into a house on Highridge Road in Bishopsworth.
Nobody was seriously injured, but the house was badly damaged in the incident - which caused an estimated £300,000 worth of damage.
Salou and his passenger left the scene on foot, leaving the car.
Officers from the force's Operation Remedy team worked hard to carry out CCTV and forensic enquiries, using blood from the airbag to identify Salaou as the driver.
His passenger - who was also identified by police in their investigations - was released without charge.
Operation Remedy Inspector Steve Davey said: "The manner in which Salaou was driving was dangerous and it's very fortunate that nobody was injured in the collision.
"However, the incident has left a family displaced and without a home for a number of months, as the condition of their home can only be described as unliveable.
"We hope that this sentence serves as a deterrent to anyone thinking of driving dangerously on our roads and provides justice to those who were on the bus and who own the badly damaged house."
If you suspect someone is driving dangerously, or not in accordance with the law, you should report it to the police. If it is an emergency and an ongoing matter where there is an immediate threat to life, please call 999.
Read more: Bus hits house in Bristol collision - with one passenger taken to hospital