Drug Driver caused bus driver to lose leg in head-on crash jailed

A 28 year old man high on drugs has been given a Jail sentence for 2 years and 8 months after head-on smash left a bus driver losing his leg.

Nathaniel Ferdinand, aged 28, was sentenced on Friday (25 November) at St Albans Crown Court.

He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to causing serious injury by dangerous driving on the A1081 Luton Road.

The collision occurred at around 4pm on Saturday 9 April this year.

Ferdinand was driving his BMW along the road when he veered onto the opposite side of carriageway and collided head on with the Arriva 321 bus travelling from Watford heading for Luton.

Ten passengers were injured and the Arriva bus driver, a man aged in his 60s, suffered several fractures which damage his leg so badly it being amputated.

Police arrived and Ferdinand was given a routine roadside drug test, which he failed, testing positive for having cannabis in his system. He was arrested and later charged.

As well as being locked up, Ferdinand is now banned from driving for 40 months and must take an extended re-test to ever get behind the wheel again.

Detective Constable David Burstow, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Serious Collision Investigation Unit, led the case. He said: “This case highlights the traumatic, life changing effects that driving under the influence of drugs can have.

“Ferdinand, who initially tried to blame the bus driver for the collision, had smoked cannabis until 3am on the day of the incident and caused this horrific crash several hours later. The law is clear, do not take drugs and drive.”

Source: Herts Police

Photo: Harpenden Fire & rescue