A drunken driver who snapped a photo showing he was speeding at 141 mph before a deadly crash in England has been sentenced to 17 years in prison

Darryl Anderson was drunk behind the wheel of his Audi SUV, had his accelerator pressed to the floor and was barreling toward a car ahead of him when he snapped a photo of his speedometer. The picture showed a car in the foreground, a collision warning light on his dashboard and a speed of 141 mph (227 kph).

An instant later, he slammed into the car in the photo. The driver, Shalorna Warner, was not seriously injured but her 8-month-old son and her sister were killed instantly, authorities said. Evidence showed Anderson never braked.

Anderson, 38, was sentenced Tuesday to 17 years in prison for the May 31 crash in northern England that killed little Zackary Blades and Karlene Warner. Anderson pleaded guilty last week in Durham Crown Court to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

  • MouselemmingEnglish
    112·
    6 months ago

    I would have called an ambulance because they have sirens to get through traffic and go fast, and can start treatment as soon as they arrive, plus you can give emergency aid yourself until they arrive, instead of driving.

    However, I acknowledge that my local paramedics are closer than my nearest hospital, and traffic is a greater factor than distance in Los Angeles. It might pan out differently on empty roads in the middle of nowhere.

    I also know from my spouse’s several life-and-death medical crises that it’s hard to stay calm. Which argues against driving but explains the choice. I’ve run into a Code Blue and taken over, because I knew my spouse’s very specific needs were being missed. I would never do anything like that normally, but I did bring him back, so yeah, you do what you need to do.

    I’m glad your wife is okay, and you didn’t crash into anyone.

    • nocturne@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      72·
      6 months ago

      I would have called an ambulance because they have sirens to get through traffic and go fast

      When I was dying from a rattlesnake bite we were told to drive, in a life or death situation like this the ambulance takes too long.

      • FellowEntEnglish
        101·
        6 months ago

        I’ve called for an ambulance twice in the UK and both times they told me I should drive instead.

        • MouselemmingEnglish
          4·
          6 months ago

          Sometimes that’s because, while you’re in need of an emergency room, you have the time and ability to drive or be driven there. A broken bone, for instance. Or excessive bleeding from a miscarriage. And having a 3rd person to help in the back seat can make driving a more viable option. Driving yourself while likely to become unconscious is not advisable.

      • MouselemmingEnglish
        2·
        5 months ago

        Oh I just saw this again and realized, you needed antivenin for a snakebite, so the EMTs would have been pretty useless. Definitely a drive to hospital situation, that.

    • ealoe@ani.socialEnglish
      51·
      6 months ago

      In my case the hospital on the local military base (which I have access to) was likely to be faster to access than the paramedics, it was one of those cases like you mentioned where sometimes we can be faster than an ambulance. I did not have traffic to contend with due to the time of day there were only a handful of other people on the roads. Glad you were able to help your spouse too, they’re lucky to have you!