A MOTORIST involved in a serious two-car crash accepts he was at fault for the catastrophic accident, a court was told.

But the findings of a motoring expert’s report into the crash, on the A68 in County Durham, will have a bearing on how defendant Craig Allen pleads in the case.

He was at the wheel of a Kia Venga which collided with a Vauxhall Astra between Witton-le-Wear and Toft Hill, at 7.30am on September 13, 2018.

The Astra driver, a 46-year-old chef from Woodland, in Teesdale, was airlifted from the scene in a critical condition with life-changing injuries.

He remained in a coma for five weeks and underwent surgery, including a double leg amputation, amid lengthy treatment at Middlesbrough’s James Cook University Hospital.

Mr Allen and a male teenage passenger were both also taken to the hospital suffering serious injuries.

Appearing at Durham Crown Court, the 45-year-old defendant denied two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

But his counsel, Michael Hayton QC told the court: “We’re awaiting a driving expert’s report.

“Let me say, though, he accepts the accident was his fault and was no fault of the other driver.

“It’s simply whether or not it was dangerous driving and that’s why we’re awaiting the expert’s report.”

Asked by Recorder Joanne Kidd if it was the case that his client had overtaken on a prohibited stretch of the road, bearing hatched markings, Mr Hayton added: “We’ll have to await the driving expert’s report.

“He (Mr Allen) was significantly injured, himself. His own recollection is hazy due to the injuries he suffered.”

Mr Hayton added that the report should be ready early in the New Year and all parties agreed that the defendant’s defence statement should be served on the court and Crown by February 17.

A provisional trial date, if required in the case, was agreed to begin at the court on Tuesday June 30.

Mr Allen, of High Street, Stanhope, was granted extended bail