The 16-year-old victim “honestly believed she might die” as she was rushed to hospital in “excruciating pain”
Elliot Harris at Liverpool Crown Court(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A boy racer broke his 16-year-old passenger’s spine after crashing into a fence, then left her “injured, terrified and in unimaginable pain”. Elliot Harris, 19, was going more than 80mph in a 30 zone when he lost control and crashed, injuring two girls he had been “showing off” to moments before.
The teenager, who was 17 at the time, had been driving for just four days before the horror crash took place, having passed his test just three weeks earlier. On September 3 2023, he picked up the girls, both aged 16, from a dance class and drove at high speed, reaching up to 88mph.
The girls begged him to slow down as he drove over speed bumps and directly over a roundabout, Liverpool Crown Court heard today, August 15.
He crashed near the junction of Alder Lane and Water Lane in Cronton, Widnes, injuring both girls and leaving one with a fractured spine. In a victim statement, she said Harris had urged his passengers – the other girl and two boys – to leave her at the scene.
She said: “He left me injured, terrified and in unimaginable pain without helping me, even without checking. I honestly believed I might die.
“I didn’t know Elliot prior to this and had not spoke to him before – my friend went to college with him.
“I was rushed to hospital in agony. I was so scared not only by what happened, but by what was to come. The surgery terrified me and so did the thought that I might never walk again. I was in hospital for a long time and it was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life.”
The girl said the crash had disrupted her dreams of becoming a professional dancer as she was unable to keep up with her peers due to the injury. She said: “Dance wasn’t just something I loved, it was who I was and what I wanted my future to be.
“Since the crash I have lived with constant pain, numbness and tension. I have lost the strength, stamina and the flexibility I once had. Simple things are now a struggle. I’m no longer able to perform to the standard I once could.
“It’s heart-breaking I have worked so hard for something I now may never achieve.”
She added: “This crash didn’t just break my spine, it broke parts of my life I’m still trying to rebuild. It’s all still with me every day, and knowing the person responsible ran away and refused to take responsibility makes it even harder.”
Harris, of Whitstable Park, Widnes, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He has no previous convictions.
Martine Snowdon, defending, said the 19-year-old was newly qualified at the time of the incident, and had limited understanding of how dangerous his driving was due to his lack of experience.
Elliot Harris, of Whitstable Park, Widnes, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving(Image: Merseyside Police)
She said: “He has very much learned that lesson in a way that could only have been more effectively learned if there had been a fatality.
“In all other aspects in life, he has shown himself to be entirely responsible, hardworking, reliable, kind, beyond that a role model for other people, demonstrating a strong moral character. Demonstrating, even throughout the period since this offence, a desire to support others in their lives.
“He’s that sort of person, and feels the shame and remorse of his actions more so than perhaps someone who was not so caring and sensitive towards others would.”
Sentencing Harris, Judge Mark Bradshaw said: “Your driving was grossly in excess of what was safe. Your speed reached 88mph.
“You ultimately crashed into fences. One sees from the body footage police took the significant level of damage to the car your driving caused.
“More importantly was the impact on the passengers. You caused a complex fracture to (the girl’s) vertebrae. She was terrified, and stayed in hospital 10 days requiring surgery with rods and screws applied to her spine. It was frankly terrifying for her. She was in excruciating pain. She couldn’t care for herself for many weeks. She had impaired mobility, flashbacks and anxiety.
“She missed the beginning of her college course at a prestigious dance college. She lost that chance to progress in her dance and her self esteem plummeted.
“I have now heard that (she) is still significantly affected by her injuries just short of two years on. She lives with ongoing pain and mental scars from that night. She’s fearful of the long-term effects of that injury.
“(The other girl) was also affected by the accident. She had to take time off dance. She describes aching all over from whiplash, neck, back and chest pain and bruising. She suffered nightmares, flashbacks, and also guilt because she was able to return to dancing the way (her friend) could not.”
He added: “What happened that night could have been so, so much worse. Your irresponsible and dangerous actions have changed people’s lives. It’s frankly chilling to hear the impact from the victim statements of these two passengers.
“This was within three weeks of your passing your driving test, and accounting for your time abroad after your test, it was only four days when you had the opportunity to drive in the community. The explanation you gave is that you were showing off, and frankly I agree that was probably, sadly your motive at the time.”
He sentenced Harris to 12 months in a young offenders institution, and disqualified him from driving for five years with an extended six months to account for his time in custody. Afterwards, he must pass an extended re-test.