Pictures show wreckage of horror crash as driver jailed for more than three years

Paul Buttery was driving a Fiat 500 towards Wetwang along the B1248 near Malton on August 6, 2021 when he treid to overtake a line of traffic.

As he did, a Mazda MX5 came around the bend travelling in the opposite direction. It was forced to brake and skidded, crashing into the Fiat and a motorcycle which was in the line of traffic, causing serious injuries to several people.

Buttery, of Goole, was charged with three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving following an investigation by North Yorkshire Police.

The motorcyclist, a man in his 60s, suffered serious, life-threatening injuries including broken vertebrae, broken ribs, a broken wrist, a punctured lung and other internal injuries.

Two people in the Mazda MX5 also suffered serious injuries, including broken bones, facial scarring and nerve damage.

Buttery, 64, was found guilty at a trial on September 19 and on Thursday (Oct 24) was sentenced to three years and 10 months behind bars at Hull Crown Court. He was also given a three year and 11 month driving disqualification with the need to pass an extended driving test.

In a victim personal statement given to the court, the injured motorcyclist wrote: “The collision forever will have a profound effect on me, physically and mentally.”

He described not being able to walk more than 200 yards without the use of a walking stick, bend over, have a bath, or get an uninterrupted night’s sleep.

He added: “One thing that I still struggle with is that I can never canoe, sail, go camping, backpacking or hiking ever again. It really hurts to know this. I am trying my hardest to have some sort of normal life, but it’s hard.”

After the sentencing hearing, TC Joseph Schramm, of North Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Group, said: “The evidence showed that Buttery was on the wrong side of the road leading up to the collision, conducting an overtake in a dangerous location.

“Despite this, when interviewed he tried to blame one of the victims for the collision, took no responsibility himself, and showed no remorse throughout the trial. It is right that he has now been held to account for his actions.”