A YOUNG man who was seriously injured in a road traffic accident has spoken out after the driver of the other vehicle was jailed for eight months.

Tom Martin, 21, suffered a catalogue of injuries including elbow and pelvic fractures, as well as ligament and tendon damage, when a van collided with a car he was travelling in as a front-seat passenger.

It happened in Newcastle at around 10.15pm on January 10 and the driver of the van, Daniel Tait, 20, fled the scene of the smash, but was later traced by police.

Mr Martin, of Cowgate, was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary by ambulance where he remained for 12 days.

He said: “The past few months have been horrible.

“Before the accident, I was independent and spent a lot of my time doing what I enjoyed like going to the gym, walking my dog, spending time with my girlfriend and socialising.

“Following the crash however, I struggled a lot with pain, being confined to the house and feeling anxious. I felt like a different person.”

At a plea hearing at Newcastle Crown Court on August 20, Tait, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving as well as driving with no licence and no insurance, failing to stop and failing to provide a breath specimen.

He was found to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time was sentenced on November 1 to custody in a young offenders’ institution.

Due to his age at the time of the offence, Tait, of Newcastle, received eight months detention and was disqualified from driving.

Mr Martin said: “While nothing will change what has happened, I hope that by speaking out it will make people more aware of how dangerous driving can affect others. “

“I wouldn’t want this to happen to anyone else.”