‘Selfish and senseless’ Keighley man jailed after drinking nine pints before crash that left woman with serious head injuries

On February 25, 2023, Thomas Doran, 40 from Keighley, was driving a white transit van eastbound on the A18 accompanied by his passengers, a man and a woman known to him, before he pulled into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

The van spun in the road forcing the rear doors to open, causing the 41-year-old woman who was sat on a makeshift seat, without a seatbelt, to be ejected into the road where she suffered extensive head injuries.

Emergency services attended the incident and Doran assaulted a paramedic who was assisting the lifesaving care of the woman, a court heard.

Officers then conducted a roadside breath test which revealed Doran was almost twice over the limit and he was arrested.

The 40-year-old then refused to provide a sample for blood alcohol analysis, the court heard.

During their investigation, police concluded via CCTV, Doran entered a pub on the A18, one mile away from where the crash occurred, that afternoon.

The footage showed the Keighley man had left the pub after a few hours and got into his van, accompanied by the man and woman.

A court heard Doran had drunk nine pints of stout before driving.

Doran was eventually found guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and assaulting an emergency worker.

The 40-year-old was sentenced to four years and six months in prison on Wednesday (Apr 9), at Liverpool Crown Court.

Officer in the case, Wade Cruse from our Roads Policing Team said: “This case is a stark reminder of how the reckless decision of driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs can have devastating consequences.

“The driver made the decision to put others' lives in his hands while impaired, including those closest to him, and the outcome could have been much worse.

“Doran is an utterly selfish and senseless man who willingly gambled with the safety of himself, his passengers and innocent members of the public.

“This was a series of dangerous and poor decision making. Driving after several pints, having passengers in the vehicle, and then showing violence towards first responders trying to help. The short distance from the pub to the collision is all it took to turn a day out into a lifelong ordeal.”