Derbyshire police release shocking pictures of mangled car as drug-driving lorry driver is sentenced over horror crash

Officers from Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit took to social media to reveal details of the horrific incident on the A38 near Mickleover.

Dramatic images show how close officers in an unmarked police car came to being killed when their vehicle was hit by “drugged up” lorry driver Simon Storey last November.

He was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months and handed a 12-month driving ban at Derby Crown Court on Wednesday (March 23).

Posting on social media on Thursday, Derbyshire RPU said: “ It's not often we will post photographs of our unmarked cars with the number plates on show, but unfortunately for us, this was our lovely Audi's last blue light run back on 16th November last year.

"It was very nearly two of our officers last blue light run too when a drugged up lorry driver pulled out on us on the A38 near Mickleover.

“Responding to a 999 call at about 9pm that night, one of our PCs and Sgts were happily making progress along the A38 Northbound. Conditions were perfect...save for habitual drug user Simon Storey, driving a lorry having smoked cannabis earlier in the day - which later in interview he admitted to smoking every day before driving.

“As we commenced overtaking Mr Storey in his lorry, rather than checking his mirrors and noticing us lit up like a Christmas tree with the siren wailing, he pulled straight out as we went to pass and a collision was unavoidable.

"Our forensic collision investigators calculated we were in view in his mirrors for around 15 seconds from at least 557 metres away. That's of no concern to drug drivers though, they have an agenda - themselves and no one else.

“As we went sliding down the road on our side for over 100 metres, the interior of our car getting smaller and smaller, Mr Storey carried on, parked up out of view, called his boss and asked what to do. Coming back to help us out of the wreck you'd just caused might have been a good start Mr Storey.

"Luckily, some other decent drivers stopped and helped - including one driver who had our nearside wheel land on his bonnet.”

The officer driving the police vehicle was pulled out through the windscreen following the collision and only suffered minor visible injuries.

The passenger, a Sergeant who had only been on RPU for two days, had to be cut out by Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service - his injuries were worse, suffering a broken elbow, broken ribs and muscle damage.

Storey, 41, of Tees Crescent, Durham, was found guilty of driving whilst over the specified limit for a specified drug and driving without due care and attention.

He was also put under six-week curfew in place between 7pm and 7am, and ordered to pay £85 victim surcharge and £128 costs.