Van driver who drove on wrong side of the road jailed
Constantin Muscalu, 27, also caused serious injury to others
A man who caused serious injury while driving on the wrong side of the road in the East Midlands has been jailed.
Constantin Muscalu, 27, was working as a delivery driver when he drove south on a northbound carriageway on the A426 near Lutterworth.
The Romanian national, who was driving a box van, was found not to have avoided crashing into the other vehicle - a lorry driven by a man in his 40s.
As a result of his inability to stop, both drivers collided head-on with each other, requiring hospital treatment for a number of weeks.
At Leicester Crown Court, Muscalu was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving at a hearing in December.
On Wednesday (February 9th), Muscalu was handed a jail term of twenty months, as well as disqualification from driving for two years and ten months.
Speaking about the decision, Detective Sergeant Paul Hawkins, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Leicestershire Police welcomed the ruling.
"Muscalu was driving on the other side of the road and took no action to avoid colliding head-on with another vehicle – something which could have had far more devastating consequences for all involved," he said.
“I don’t know whether it was a momentary lapse in concentration, but he will be well aware that in the UK, we drive on the left-hand side of the road and there was ample road signage to highlight this.
“I am just relieved that no-one lost their life as a consequence of his actions. However, the injuries suffered by the other driver have had a significant impact on his life and I hope the conclusion of the case will provide a degree of closure and allow him to move on.”