Ex-footballer inhaled laughing gas before 80mph car crash

A young driver inhaled laughing gas moments before crashing his car on the way back from a party which left his passenger needing around-the-clock care.

Mason Thornton was carrying four other occupants in his vehicle on the A1027 Billingham interchange on October 23, 2022 when he veered off the road at 80mph.

Teesside Crown Court heard this week that the 21-year-old took balloons full of nitrous oxide as he drove in the early hours of the morning.

He then veered off the carriageway at speeds of up to 80mph.

Harlan Moon, 25, from Billingham, was left with a fractured skull and now requires 24-hour assistance.

Thornton was arrested and later pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and supplying a psychoactive substance.

He was sentenced to three years and 11 months behind bars.

Harlan’s father, Allan Moon, said in a victim impact statement read to the court: ‘On 23rd October 2022 everything changed for us and our family. Harlan now requires 24/7 care and still is not home.

‘I see my son laid in hospital and looking at him, it’s Harlan but I know that it isn’t my son that I knew before the collision. I struggle to comprehend this and worry that I will not get my son back.

‘Harlan had his whole future ahead of him and would often speak about marriage, children and the plans that he had.

‘It was also time for Deb and I to enjoy time together again as a couple, our children were grown up, independent and have their own lives to live.

‘This will not happen now, our time will be helping Harlan and hoping that he will recover more and more each day so that he can have quality of life.’

Inspector Stephen Clyburn said afterwards: ‘This has highlighted the tragic consequences of taking nitrous oxide whilst driving. A young man with his whole life ahead of him has been left with serious injuries and will now be in need of life-long care, changing his and his families’ lives forever.

‘The aftermath of taking nitrous oxide, which is a class C drug, and driving can be catastrophic and I welcome the sentence handed to Mason Thornton today, though this is nothing compared to the life sentence Harlan and his family will now have to suffer.

‘I hope this sends a clear message to others, particularly young drivers, that nitrous oxide is like any other drug and if you inhale it at the wheel you take a huge risk with not only your life, but the lives of others. You will be prosecuted and put before the courts.’

In mitigation, the court heard Thornton was once a promising footballer and he has been left distraught over the accident.

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