Seriously injured man admits drink drive charge after doing wheelies on motorbike before crashing into brick wall

A motorcyclist who was almost twice over the drink drive limit has been banned from driving for 12 months after seriously injuring himself in a road traffic collision in Northampton.

George Fury was witnessed performing wheelies on a Surron electric motorcycle in Malcolm Drive, Northampton, shortly after 7.10pm on Saturday, May 20, before colliding with a brick wall.

As a result of the collision, the 28-year-old of Baird Avenue, Northampton, sustained serious injuries, including facial injuries, punctured lung and broken ribs, and was taken to University Hospital Coventry.

Fury provided a blood sample for analysis at hospital, which subsequently revealed that he was over the prescribed limit for alcohol with a reading of 149 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80 milligrams.

Once he’d recovered from his injuries, Fury attended a voluntary interview with officers from Northamptonshire Police’s Roads Policing Team, where he admitted he had “had a few beers at a local pub before the collision “and that’s why this has happened”.

During the police interview he also confirmed he had told officers on the day of the collision that “I am not a criminal. This was a drunken accident that I regret,” and that he knew by the nature of the vehicle that it was illegal to ride it on a public road.

Fury was later charged via a postal requisition with driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention, driving while over the prescribed limit of alcohol, and driving without third party insurance or a valid MOT.

At Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, November 23, Fury pleaded guilty to all four offences and was disqualified from driving for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay £750 compensation, complete 150 hours of unpaid work and pay court costs of £85.

Following sentencing, lead investigator PC Callum Donoghue of the Roads Policing Team, said: “Performing wheelies at excess speeds is dangerous and reckless however, knowingly doing this when you are over the prescribed alcohol level to drive is just pure stupidity. It is just by sheer luck that George Fury did not kill himself or injury anyone else.“This collision highlights the devastating effects drink driving can have and it is also extremely disappointing that despite our anti-drink and drug drive campaigns, that there are still people who choose to use our roads illegally and irresponsibly.

“It also serves as a timely reminder that electric bikes and scooters are governed by the same traffic laws as other motorised vehicles, including driving while under the influence of alcohol, and anyone caught flouting these laws face getting a criminal record and losing their licence.

“Reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads remains the priority for Northamptonshire Police and our partners at the Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance, and we will continue to take robust action to ensure that people arrive home safely.”

Tragically in 2022, after being involved in a road collision in Northamptonshire, 36 people never returned home safely to their loved ones, and 347 required urgent medical assistance for serious and life-changing injuries.