A4 Derry Hill: Serious crash 'looked like a bomb had gone off'

Samuel Jeffrey was trying to overtake another car on the A4 between Chippenham and Calne last January when he crashed head-on into another car, carrying a family of three.

That car spun and hit another vehicle, which had six people inside.

The crash left some of the children involved with panic attacks and anxiety so bad that they are physically sick and in tears when they are in a car.

One of the first police officers on the scene said it looked like a “bomb had gone off” and that it was “miraculous that no-one was killed”.

Roads Policing Officer James Salmond said: “This stretch of road is well lit and always busy. It is also not far from a previous fatality in which four young men were killed when their car collided with a house and caught fire.”

Appearing at Salisbury Crown Court on Thursday, September 8, Jeffrey was sentenced to 28 months in prison. He was also handed a two-year driving ban and will have to pass an extended re-test.

The 22-year-old was driving his dad's car along the A4 on January 15 last year at around 7.30pm when the crash occurred.

All three people from the first car were taken to hospital with minor physical injuries, including a six-year-old child.

The six from the other vehicle were also taken to hospital which included two young children and a baby, their parents and aunt.

Samuel Jeffrey (Image: Wiltshire Police)

The parents both suffered broken bones. One of those was Jessica Goulding, who was left unable to breastfeed her youngest child, after the collision caused a large haematoma which she says she had to use a pump to help move.  

Ms Goulding said in a Victim Impact Statement which was read out in court: “It’s hard to put into words the impact this time in hospital has had on myself and my family. I feel panicked and scared in an instant. Because of someone else’s actions our lives changed.

“Each car journey is filled with anxiety. I have panic attacks and flashbacks when in the car, which affects everyone around me.

“My children are still very wary of the car. My daughter (who is six) cries while we are driving, and her anxiety causes her to be sick. My sister who was also in the car suffers from anxieties and although we are so grateful to all still be here, the result of this person's actions has impacted us greatly.”