A 22-year-old Weoley Castle man has been jailed for his involvement in two serious collisions, one which left a passenger paralysed and another in which a man died.
Fatal collision on country lane
Jordan Tedstone was racing along Frankley Lane, close to Bartley Green Reservoir, in a Volkswagen Scirocco at speeds of up to 70mph when the first collision happened on 22 May, 2019.
Tedstone’s friend, Kieron Mason, was driving a Volkswagen Polo in the same direction when he collided head on with an oncoming taxi. The 23-year-old from Northfield sadly died at the scene.
In a tribute, Kieron’s family described him as “a really happy, care-free lad who was the life and soul of any party” and said he was “devoted to his family”.
The taxi driver and his passenger were taken to hospital, but their injuries were thankfully not life-threatening.
Bus stop collision left passenger paralysed
In June this year, while on bail waiting for trial, Tedstone was involved in a second serious collision on Woodgate Lane in Bartley Green.
Tedstone lost control of his Mercedes, mounting the pavement before crashing into a bus stop.
He fled the scene of the collision, leaving three passengers inside the car. A 22-year-old man was left paralysed after suffering permanent spinal cord damage.
Another passenger, aged 19, suffered leg and pelvis fractures and a third was less seriously hurt.
Guilty
The Birmingham Live reported that passing sentence Judge Melbourne Inman QC, referring to the first incident, said that after leaving the car park over a distance of about 250 metres Tedstone had accelerated to 70mph and that Frankley Lane was dark, winding country road.
“You were driving at grossly excessive speed and seconds after narrowly missing that taxi your friend, who was driving at similar high speeds, lost control of his car which slid on to its side and collided head on with the taxi. It was a horrific crash from which your friend died.
“The jury acquitted you of responsibility for that crash but what happened, however, vividly demonstrates the terrible danger of cars being driven at such high speeds in such locations.”
The judge said of the second incident: “On this occasion you made the same error of judgement that your friend had.”
Tedstone was found guilty of dangerous driving for the May 2019 collision and pleaded guilty for causing serious injury by dangerous driving for the June 2021 collision. He was also convicted of driving with no insurance.
The 22-year-old, of Gregory Avenue, Weoley Castle, was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday (16 December) for four years and nine months for both offences.
He has also been disqualified from driving for seven years.
Sergeant Julie Lyman, from our Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Tedstone drove at speeds around residential streets with no care for anyone else’s safety.
“His reckless actions have resulted in some catastrophic consequences in not just one, but two collisions.
“He has rightly been jailed and we will continue our fight to take dangerous drivers off our streets and make the West Midlands safer.”