Horrifying dashcam footage shows moment driver smashes into oncoming traffic after trying risky overtake

4 October 2024, 16:26 | Updated: 4 October 2024, 17:39

A shock crash in Devon was caught on a dash cam, as a driver hurtled into oncoming traffic while trying to overtake a lorry.

Norman Chai, 66, tried to overtake a lorry in the rain but skidded over into the opposite lane. Although he tried to take back control of his vehicle, Norman collided with two other vehicles.

The incident, which took place on the A30, resulted in several serious injuries. Chai was reportedly airlifted to hospital and placed in a 24 hour coma.

Chai's wife and mother in law were also in the car and suffered from fractures and lacerations. According to Devon Live, Chai's mother in law had to be treated for damage to her lung.

The drivers of the other cars also suffered similar injuries, after the November 2022 crash.

Driver causes serious car crash in Devon

The 66 year old appeared in Exeter Crown Court earlier this year.

Chai was handed a £2000 fine, and a three-year driving ban alongside a two-year suspended sentence for causing serious injuries through dangerous driving.

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Police made the decision to release the footage in order to show "how quickly things can go devastatingly wrong when you drive dangerously".

Sergeant Troy Bennett of the Serious Collision Investigations Team said: "Norman Chai’s actions on the 26 November 2022 had catastrophic consequences.

"This was done during heavy rain with wet roads and was a highly dangerous and egregious manoeuvre resulting in serious injuries to people, including Chai himself, occupants of his own car, and those in the oncoming vehicles he struck."

Lisa Denly, the barrister defending Chris, said that he "made a serious mistake" and "hates himself for it".

She added: "He was panicking and incredibly stressed thinking he was about to be involved in an accident and going to cause injury to his wife and mother-in-law. It was a momentary lapse in concentration. A very serious error."

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The dash cam catching the crash is just one example of dash cam footage being used as evidence by the police.

The amount of dash cam videos being sent to the police has risen by 77 per cent over two years, according to The Sun.

Much of this has been as a result of the police initiative named Operation Snap which allows drivers to submit evidence of dangerous driving.