Blindness among his victims’ injuries

FOUR victims suffered serious injuries – including blindness and bleeding on the brain – after an inexperienced driver described as a “boy racer” drifted to the wrong side of the road causing a fatal head-on collision.

Dean Collins, 23, has been convicted of causing the death of five-year-old Joseph Smith by driving dangerously on the A48 Western Avenue in Cardiff on Sunday, September 13, 2015.

He has also been convicted of causing serious injury to his partner, Laura Bright, and her mother, Michelle Holmes, who were both passengers in the Ford Focus he was driving.

The other victims were Shane and Joanne Strevins, who were in a white Seat Ibiza travelling in the opposite direction.

The horror crash not only killed football-loving schoolboy Joseph, but left many of those involved in hospital for several weeks.

A pathologist confirmed Joseph’s medical cause of death was blunt injury to the neck, caused by his seatbelt sitting in the wrong place as he was not in a booster seat.

The schoolboy’s mother, Ms Bright, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, spent 23 days in hospital following the crash.

The court heard she suffered memory loss following bleeding in her brain.

She also sustained a fracture to her jaw, and an X-ray showed that part of a tooth was found in her windpipe.

Her mother, Ms Holmes, who was sitting on the back seat, spent 24 days recovering in hospital.

Prosecutors said she suffered bleeding in the front of her brain and skin lacerations on her face.

She also sustained fractures to both sides of her jaw and damage to her left eye, which has resulted in ongoing blindness.

The court heard she suffered a fractured right arm and bruising to her lungs.

Mr Strevins, who was driving the white Seat Ibiza involved in the head-on collision, spent 16 days in hospital.

He suffered fractures to his lower spine, a broken rib, a bruised lung and spleen, perforated bowel, fracture to his left leg and torn knee ligaments.

His wife, who was in the front passenger seat, was discharged after 33 days, after being treated for fractures to her spine, wrist, foot and rib.