“One witness described seeing the two cars exploding."
Amir Mushtaq, aged 30, formerly of Bradford, was jailed for three years after he ran a red light and caused a horror crash.
Bradford Crown Court heard that he ran a red light at 2:15 am on February 17, 2019.
CCTV footage showed Mushtaq’s VW Jetta speeding through the traffic lights at the junction of Manchester Road and Croft Street.
He then smashes into an unsuspecting motorist in his Vauxhall Vectra.
Prosecutor Nick Adlington said: “One witness described seeing the two cars exploding.”
Mushtaq’s sister-in-law was a rear-seat passenger in the Jetta. She suffered three fractures to her vertebrae and a fractured hip.
She spent around two weeks in hospital before being discharged.
The driver of the Vectra had severe whiplash and Mushtaq himself suffered fractures to his pelvis and ribs as well as a punctured lung.
Mushtaq initially denied being the driver but before his trial, he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Mr Adlington said his DNA was found on the airbag on the driver’s side of the car.
Andrew Dallas, defending, said Mushtaq had since moved to Oldham with his family and was working as a delivery driver.
Mr Dallas said the case had taken a long time to get to court. The significant delay was not the fault of Mushtaq, although he had then denied the offence.
He had kept out of trouble in the more than three years since the crash and he was fully licensed and insured to drive the car.
Mushtaq admitted that his speed was excessive when he hit the Vectra and he could not explain why he went through the red light.
Recorder Tahir Khan QC agreed that the best description of the collision was that there had been “an explosion” with both vehicles substantially damaged.
He said the crash could have been much worse for the Vectra driver.
Recorder Khan acknowledged that the jail sentence would have an impact on Mushtaq’s family but he was going at excessive speed and went through a red light shortly after receiving the suspended sentence.
Mushtaq was jailed for two years. He received an additional 12 months in prison for breaching a suspended sentence.
He was also banned from driving for 42 months and ordered to take an extended re-test at the end of the disqualification before he can lawfully drive on the roads again.
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