A Dundee man who nearly killed his friend in a Boxing Day car crash was jailed for 13 months on Tuesday.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard that Ryan Willis, 23, lost control of his modified Honda Civic after overtaking on a blind bend.
The car then flipped 180 degrees into a tree injuring Willis and his friend Stewart Myles, who was a front seat passenger.
Mr Myles told the Tele he will never speak to Willis again, adding: “I didn’t expect him to get jailed.
“I thought he was just going to be banned. I really only wanted him to get banned — I didn’t want him to go to jail for it.
“The four-year ban was enough and I wouldn’t have jailed him if it was me. I haven’t spoken to him at all since I was in hospital. I will never speak to him again after what happened. I am still waiting to get an operation, which should be in the next couple of weeks.”
The court heard that Mr Myles was taken to hospital and received treatment to a broken jaw, dislocated foot, fractured foot, stitches to two separate cuts, and screws and wires in both feet.
He spent six weeks in hospital and then was confined to a wheelchair for weeks.
The accident happened shortly after midnight on December 26 2013, on the A933, near Friockheim, as Willis and his friend followed another friend’s car home to Dundee from Arbroath via Brechin.
Willis, of Ashkirk Place, admitted a charge of dangerous driving. Solicitor Nicola Brown, for Willis, said: “All of the witnesses, including the driver of the other car and the passenger of the other car, did not blame Mr Willis for the accident.
“Something had gone wrong. The loss of control was catastrophic.”
Sheriff Elizabeth Munro, sentencing, described Willis’ actions as “immature and irresponsible”.
The sheriff said: “Clearly I have thought long and hard about this case.
“I have reached a conclusion that there is no alternative to a custodial sentence.
“There was a degree of immaturity and irresponsibility about your behaviour. You have a lot of growing up to do.”
Willis was also disqualified from driving for four years and ordered to re-sit his driving test.
Mr Myles spoke for the first time about the incident to the Tele last month, revealing that he had nightmares for six months after the crash.
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