A dramatic and tragic collision on England’s M27 motorway has attracted fresh scrutiny of how courts handle drink-driving cases that leave victims permanently disabled.
In what reads like a cautionary tale for motorists everywhere, a 45-year-old woman from Berkshire admitted to not only being drunk but actively engaging in a FaceTime call while claiming she was a “fantastic driver” and crashing into a Mercedes parked on the hard shoulder.
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The victim, former professional footballer Jordan Chidozi, lost a leg and suffered multiple devastating injuries in the wreckage. Yet the sentence handed down this week – just 28 months in prison – left people debating whether the penalties in such cases adequately reflect the irreparable harm.
A regular stop wreaks havoc on a stiff shoulder
The collision happened late at night on February 1, 2025, when Chiedozie pulled over on the hard shoulder of the motorway to check a flat tire on his Volkswagen Golf.
This is exactly the kind of situation for which Go above the law Located in the US. The law requires vehicles stopped on the side of the road to move into one lane if they can safely do so or slow down below the posted limit.
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Despite the presence of hazard lights and reflective clothing, the Mercedes, driven by Anna Malgorzata Bogusiewicz, plowed into the Golf at high speed, hitting Chidozi and her physio friend.
Emergency services rushed him to hospital where his injuries were so severe that doctors had no choice but to amputate his right leg. He suffered an open fracture to his left leg and a lacerated pelvis and was placed in an induced coma.
Addiction, distraction, and a “grim irony”
Police tests later showed Bogusiewicz had nearly twice the legal alcohol limit in his system at the time of the crash. Investigators also discovered several video calls on his phone in the minutes before the impact, adding to the grim irony of his defense.
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According to court records, he described himself as a “fantastic driver” during the initial questioning, also as evidence of his poor judgment and reckless behavior behind the wheel.
The stark contrast between that self-assessment and the disastrous consequences of his driving became a focal point of public reaction.
Prosecutors argued that the combination of drunken driving and distracted driving represented clear, dangerous recklessness. The prosecution’s lawyer told the court that there was no excuse for getting behind the wheel while impaired by alcohol and using a phone at the same time.
“This horrific collision, which has changed a man’s life, could have been easily avoided if the defendant had not made a selfish decision to drink and drive,” said Detective Constable Joy Jarvis.
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One life change, one sentence debate
In his victim impact statement, Chiedozie offers a poignant glimpse of the human cost. “Before, my life was simple. I played professional and part-time football, and I worked as a roofer every day. All the work I love is not easy anymore,” he said, reflecting on how injuries have upended his daily existence.
He admits that he wants his old life back but admits that “everything won’t change because of this one day.”
However in the eyes of some observers, the sentence handed down at Southampton Crown Court on January 23 did not match the seriousness of the harm. Bogusiewicz was found guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and drink-driving and was sentenced to 28 months in prison, with a three-year driving ban and requirement to take an extended driving retest.
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Trans-Atlantic Contrasts in Punishment and the Long Road to Recovery
Image credit: jaychid/Instagram.
Critics on both sides of the Atlantic have pointed out that the equivalent sentence of just two years in custody may seem lenient when the victim is left with lifelong disabilities. In the United States, penalties for similar conduct vary widely by state, but many jurisdictions impose much harsher penalties for serious bodily injury while driving while intoxicated.
In some states, driving while intoxicated can trigger felony charges with possible prison terms of up to ten years, especially when accompanied by aggravating factors such as phone use or repeat offenses.
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The UK guidelines, in contrast, are framed more around culpability and absence of intent to harm, which may result in a lower maximum sentence even when the physical consequences are catastrophic.
For Chiedozie, the road ahead is long. With the support of former teammates and the wider football community, he has begun to adapt to life with a prosthetic and is focused on recovery, although he continues to deal with profound changes in his life.
