Drug driver jailed after horror Pontlliw crash leaves passenger with life changing injuries

A Hendy man has been jailed after a high speed crash in the village of Pontlliw left his passenger with what police described as the “worst injuries they have ever seen in a collision where the victim has gone on to survive.”

Michael Francis, 33, from Hendy, was driving a blue Volkswagen Scirocco with a 20 year-old female in the front passenger seat in the early hours of August 12, 2021, along the A48.

Francis drove whilst under the influence of drugs and at excessively high speed, when entering the village of Pontlliw. He reached 75mph in 30mph zone, before hurtling round a corner on the wrong side of the road and crashing into a lamppost and then a tree.

Francis got out of the car with relatively minor injuries, however his passenger suffered what roads policing officers described as the “worst injuries they have ever seen in a collision where the victim has gone on to survive.”

The victim now has to live with these life-changing injuries and adapt her lifestyle.

Francis was today sentenced to three years and six months and disqualified from driving for six years and nine months at Swansea Crown Court following a guilty plea.

Following sentencing, Senior Investigating Officer Detective Sergeant Lee Christer said: “Michael Francis’s reckless actions that day left a young female with horrific life-changing injuries.

“If it wasn’t for the quick response from officers and emergency services at the scene, and the expert medical care she received from the staff at University Hospital Wales, I’m not sure she would’ve survived.

“I hope this sentence affords Francis the opportunity to reflect on the gravity of what he has done.

“I also hope it sends a strong message to other motorists and encourages them to think when they get behind the wheel. Speeding and driving under the influence of drugs are two of the leading factors in serious and fatal collisions in Wales, and when driven recklessly and irresponsibly, cars can be lethal weapons as this case has so tragically proven.”

(Lead image: South Wales Police)