Man jailed for seriously injuring two people during collision
He had attempted a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre during extremely poor conditions
Last updated 3rd Nov 2025
A driver who caused a collision that seriously injured two has been jailed.
John Doocey was driving a Nissan NT400 flatbed van at 90mph along the A133 at Frating on around 7.05pm on 3 August this year.
He had attempted a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre during extremely poor conditions, with heavy rainfall limiting visibility and leaving significant standing water on the road.
Shortly after the overtake, Doocey lost control of his vehicle which fishtailed, left the carriageway, rolled, and hit a tree
One of his passengers was able to get out of the vehicle but the other was trapped until emergency services were able to get him out.
The passenger who was trapped sustained a potentially life-changing spinal injury while the other was left with a broken ankle.
Doocey, 30, of High Road, Trimley St. Martin in Suffolk was arrested at the scene and later charged with two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He admitted the charges at Ipswich Crown Court on 8 October and, at the same court on Friday 31 October, was jailed for three years.
He has also been given a three year disqualification and will have to undertake an extended retest.
PC Harry Townsend, from our Roads Policing Team, said: “Driving is a privilege and not a right and John Doocey’s actions were reckless.
“He paid no attention to the conditions and drove way above his capability, causing a collision which has had a significant impact.
“He is responsible for his two passengers being left with injuries which could affect them for the rest of their lives.
“More than 50 people have died on Essex’s roads and speed has been a contributing factor to several of the most serious incidents that we’ve seen.
“If you’re behind the wheel you have a responsibility to look after the other people in your vehicle and the other people on the road.
“Looking at the speed and reckless nature of John Doocey’s driving, this collision could easily have been a fatal one.
“I am pleased he will not be able to get back in the driver’s seat of a vehicle for the foreseeable future.”