Motorist handed one-year ban after military vehicle sent flying into the air

A motorist who caused a crash in which a military Land Rover flipped over on a dual-carriageway, leaving its driver with a suspected broken back, has been spared jail.

Northamptonshire Police released dashcam video of the “completely avoidable” incident on the A43 at Hulcote, after Crenguta Aruxandei was handed a six-month suspended prison term and a one-year driving ban.

The footage shows Aruxandei, 44, slowing down in an Audi Q2 and moving from the outside to the inside lane, while taking an exit, forcing the Land Rover Defender driver to take evasive action.

Video shows the military vehicle and its trailer, which was travelling in a convoy in the inside lane, repeatedly rolling across both lanes, before coming to rest as another Land Rover manages to stop safely.

Aruxandei, of Old Factory Way, Northampton, was sentenced earlier this month at Northampton Crown Court after pleading guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by careless driving, police said.

Her jail sentence was suspended for 18 months and she was disqualified from driving for 12 months and must sit an extended test before re-gaining her licence.

She was also ordered to pay a £154 victim surcharge.

Aruxandei admitted the charges in February in relation to the crash at 8.35am on January 10 this year.

In a statement confirming details of the injuries caused in the crash Northamptonshire Police said: “The 36-year-old driver was thrown from the Land Rover and sustained a suspected fractured back and was taken to the University Hospital Coventry.

“His 31-year-old male passenger was taken to Northampton General Hospital with a significant head injury.”

Aruxandei initially opted to go to trial at the county’s crown court but changed her plea to guilty before a jury had been sworn in.

Detective Constable Eleanor Hudson, of the force’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Holding a driving licence is a privilege and a responsibility and there is no place on our roads for drivers who put the lives of innocent members of the public at risk.

“This was a completely avoidable collision on one of our major roads, which has left two other road users seriously injured and I am pleased that Crenguta Aruxandei will not be able to get back behind the wheel without passing an extended test to ensure she is safe to do so.

“Reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads remains a priority for Northamptonshire Police and our partners at the Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance.

“We will continue to take robust action to remove unsafe drivers from our roads.”