A young driver has been spared jail after causing a 112mph horror crash which injured herself and three friends.
One of Jenna Burton’s passengers screamed “I’m going to die” in the moments before the serious smash near Mintlaw, Peterhead Sheriff Court was told.
Burton hit a verge with such force that it flipped the car and propelled the engine 50ft away into a field.
All three passengers were injured and one, who was 17 at the time, was hospitalised for nine days and required surgery for internal bleeding.
Burton – who was 18 at the time – admitted to police that she had been “showing off and being a tw*t” but still found time to take a photo of the wreckage and post it on Snapchat with the caption ‘Fkd it’.
Burton, now 21, appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court after admitting the charge of causing severe injury by dangerous driving on the A950 to A952 unclassified road near to Newton, Mintlaw, on June 5, 2022.
‘Oh, that’s us at 100 miles per hour’
The court heard that the four friends had met at around 8pm at Peterhead’s Lido car park to socialise and that Burton had declared she had found a “good straight” she could go “flat out” on.
The three youngsters got into Burton’s car and she drove off, the court was told.
Fiscal depute Jennifer Pritchard said that during the journey the passengers noted Burton’s “erratic driving” and excessive speeds.
“She sped around a corner and stated – ‘oh, that’s us at 100 miles per hour’,” Ms Pritchard continued.
The court heard that one of the rear passengers screamed “I’m going to die” while another said she was scared and asked Burton to slow down.
Another car travelling in the opposite direction to Burton on the unclassified road, near to Auchtydore Farm and the Lenabo Woodlands, had just overtaken a cyclist and noted the road surface was covered in new loose chippings.
The oncoming motorist saw Burton’s car ahead travelling at “excessive speed” and had to swerve to avoid colliding with it.
Social media post moments after crash
One of Burton’s backseat passengers noted that Burton had failed to take any evasive action and braked harshly, hitting the verge and causing the car to roll before coming to rest.
The cyclist, the court was told, recalls hearing a “sudden whoosh” and lots of “debris and mud” but had his head down so did not see the impact.
“There was screaming from within the car”, Ms Pritchard said. “One of the rear passengers stated they were trapped, however, he managed to free himself.”
The cyclist and the driver of the other car removed the windscreen of Burton’s wrecked car, allowing Burton and the front passenger to exit.
While one of her passengers was still trapped inside, Burton took a photo of the wreckage and post it on social media with the caption ‘Fkd it’.
The engine of the car had been flung out from the vehicle and was in a nearby field on fire.
One of the passenger’s smartphones had alerted emergency services there had been a crash and data from the phone showed Burton had been travelling at a top speed of 112mph during the ride and had exceeded 80mph on five occasions.
The remaining trapped passenger had to be cut out of the car by the fire crews.
Burton told police at the scene that she was “showing off and being a tw*t” and conceded that she had been speeding and lost control of the car.
One back seat passenger had a broken collar bone, bruising to her lungs and spinal fractures. The other suffered a dislocated knee which was corrected at the scene, concussion and cuts to his forehead.
The front seat passenger broke her wrist and suffered internal bleeding, which resulted in her having part of her bowel removed during surgery.
Burton, who also broke a wrist, was “very apologetic” towards everyone involved, defence solicitor Sam Milligan told the court.
‘Miraculous’ no one died
“It was fool-hardy and should never have been embarked upon,” Mr Milligan said. “It was clearly dangerous.”
Sheriff Craig Findlater said the offence was “nothing short of horrific” and was the most serious level of causing injury by dangerous driving.
He said: “You did not cause any death, but this is miraculous given the speeds involved.
“The expulsion of the engine of your car gives support to the forces involved – and to those nearby. They are lucky to be left with their lives.
“You injured more than one person, which makes this offence more serious.”
He made mention of Burton’s previously clean driving record and that she had shown a “high level” of remorse for those “who were your friends”.
“I could impose a custodial sentence, given the nature of the offence,” Sheriff Findlater continued. “However, I am minded to impose a community order.”
She was sentenced to 300 hours of unpaid work, placed under supervision for 12 months and will be subject to an electronic tag curfew between the hours of 9pm and 5am.
Burton, of Burnett Street, Stuartfield, was also banned from obtaining a driving licence for four-and-a half years and will need to pass an extended driving test to get her licence back.
No apology received
Speaking outside court, one of Burton’s passengers said her life had been changed completely following the accident as she could no longer continue her training to become a hairdresser because standing for lengthy periods of time was impossible.
The mother of one of the injured passengers – who did not wish to be named – said: “She has never apologised to us. It feels like the whole thing has been glossed over. I think more could have been said about how this has impacted our family.
“The fact that she was straight on social media posting about it while my daughter was still lying on the verge being treated – it’s not right.
“The engine and gearbox had been flung out of the car and was lying about fifty feet away on fire – that’s how severe it was.
“It’s the phone call you never want to get – that your child has been in a car crash – it was just awful.”