Adventurer fell asleep at wheel and crashed car after charity marathon

Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes momentarily fell asleep at the wheel of his car and crashed into a vehicle on the opposite side of the road, a court heard yesterday.

He was left dazed and bloodied by the head-on collision in Stockport, Greater Manchester, but the other motorist was in intensive care for a month with numerous injuries.

The Polar explorer had earlier competed in the 42-mile High Peak Marathon in Derbyshire on the day of the incident in March.

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Appearing at Stockport Magistrates Court, Sir Ranulph, 66, pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention. He was fined 1,000 and received four penalty points on his licence.

The oldest Briton to reach the summit of Mount Everest was returning from the endurance run in his Jaguar X-type when the crash happened on the A6 Buxton Road in Heaviley.

His vehicle swerved on to the opposite carriageway and hit a Nissan Micra driven by Luigi Castaldo, who was travelling with his 10-year-old son.

The force of the collision shunted the Micra backwards into another car and it then flipped into the air and landed on its roof, the court was told.

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Mr Castaldo, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was flung from the driver's side window and was trapped between the roof and the road surface. His son was wearing a seatbelt and was uninjured. Sir Ranulph's Jaguar continued forward for several yards and hit the front of another car on the opposite side of the road.

Prosecutor Eddie Coyle said the explorer was "greatly concerned" for the welfare of Mr Castaldo and rushed to him with others in an attempt to free him.

Mr Castaldo went on to spend a month in intensive care and was artificially ventilated for 17 days.

He suffered bruising to the head, a broken collarbone, a fractured right wrist, four broken ribs and damage to his femur. Both his lungs were deflated and his left kneecap was shattered.

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Representing himself in court, Sir Ranulph said: "I hugely regret the incident to Luigi and his family."

He told the bench that he had never lost his concentration in this way previously while driving. "I travel 40,000 to 45,000 miles a year and it has not happened," he added.

He said that he had rested specifically for the High Peak Marathon with extra sleep beforehand and eating pasta to keep up his energy levels.

Teams of four compete in the High Peak Marathon to test their fitness, endurance and navigational skills through the night as they tackle terrain which is mostly made up of pathless peat bog. Sir Ranulph's veterans' team, The Polar Explorers, won the charity race.

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