Michael Bailey had to be released from his car by firefighters following the crash on the A1 near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, and a blood test found him to be more than twice the legal alcohol limit
The shocking moment a drunk driver flipped his car into a field at 116mph – after narrowly avoiding crashing into a lorry – was caught on camera.
Dashcam footage shows Michael Bailey drive dangerously on the northbound A1 at Water Newton, near Peterborough in Cambridgeshire. A blood test found the 30-year-old motorist to be more than twice the legal alcohol limit.
Bailey had to be released from his vehicle by firefighters after the smash at around 1.30am on October 18, 2024. He was “incredibly lucky” to have escaped with minor injuries, police said.
But the driver admitted drink driving and dangerous driving. He appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where he was handed a 26-week prison spell, suspended for 12 months.
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Speaking after sentencing, PC Callum Watson, of Cambridgeshire Police, said: “Bailey was incredibly lucky to have suffered only minor injuries from a crash at this speed. It could have ended much worse, for Bailey or anyone he encountered on the roads that night.”
Bailey was fortunate to avoid careering his vehicle into a lorry on the A1 after he hit speeds of more than 110mph. The court was told he swerved across lanes, before he lost control of his car and it ended it up in a field. The defendant, from Peterborough, needed treatment in hospital for the minor injuries. No one else was hurt.
In addition to the suspended sentence, Bailey was banned from driving for two years.
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His case reached court this week as another crash on the A1 – albeit more than 200 miles north near Denton, Newcastle – left seven police officers in hospital. A man in his 20s who was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving was released on police bail on Thursday. A woman, also in her 20s, was arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting dangerous driving, but she has been released and will face no further action, police confirmed.
Shocking images showed four badly damaged marked police cars, as well as an unmarked vehicle flipped on its side. Northumbria Police said seven officers were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. A black BMW involved in the collision, and believed to be a civilian car, was carrying two occupants who were uninjured. A large stretch of the road was closed near Denton, Newcastle, for more than 12 hours following the smash – which took place at around 2.30am on Wednesday.
The Great North Air Ambulance Service sent a paramedic and doctor response a critical care car. Their team worked alongside the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) to assess and treat multiple patients at the scene.