"There was nothing left of the front of the vehicle."
Mohammad Jamal Gul, aged 23, of Walsall, was jailed for two years following a crash in Walsall. The drink driver crashed into a wall at 73mph, leaving his passenger “hanging out the window with a bleed on the brain”.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that in the early hours of March 14, 2021, he had been driving towards Lichfield Road at speeds of up to 73mph.
But Gul lost control of his VW Golf on Mellish Road.
He mounted the pavement and hit a garden wall. The impact forced the car into the central reservation after taking out a lamppost and two illuminated bollards.
Gul went through the front windscreen while his passenger, a 17-year-old girl, was left hanging out of the nearside window.
Residents rushed to help the pair.
Some compared the noise of the impact to an “earthquake”.
One resident said: “There was a big bang, we even felt it through the house.
“We thought the roof of the kitchen had collapsed in so came to have a look and out the window, we saw a huge cloud of smoke.
“I came out to see what was going on. The vehicle was in the centre of the road on top of the bollards.
“Everyone was shouting to call the police.
“The engine was on the footpath on the other side of the road. There was nothing left of the front of the vehicle.
“It was around 1 am in the morning and police arrived within five minutes.
“I started telling cars to divert away from the scene.
“Lots of residents were coming out to help.”
Gul and the girl were rushed to hospital with serious injuries.
The girl suffered a bleed on her brain and multiple broken bones.
While she is out of hospital, she continues to receive medical treatment as she works towards a full recovery.
A blood test confirmed Gul was over the drink drive limit.
Gul pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving over the prescribed limit for alcohol.
Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, of West Midlands Police’s serious collision investigation unit, said:
“Gul’s actions were dangerous and reckless. He was drink driving and his speed was excessive.”
“The impact with which the car hit the wall was frightening and in my opinion, it’s fortunate they did not lose their lives.
“My thoughts are with the young woman who must have been terrified at what happened.
“I wish her all the best with her recovery and for the future and I hope this sentence offers some comfort to her and her family.
“Drink driving and driving too fast is dangerous and both carry serious consequences.”
Gul was jailed for two years. He was also banned from driving for five years.
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