BMW driver taking mates to party killed Stoke-on-Trent man, 31, in horror crash

A BMW driver took a Stoke-on-Trent man's life and seriously injured another in a horrific car crash as he gave a group of mates a lift to a party.

Usher Donson, 27, 'lost control' and swerved onto the wrong side of the road before smashing into another car and a van in the morning of November 4 2021. He then fled the scene. Bar manager Aaron Jarvis, 31, from Stoke-on-Trent, died in hospital. And a second passenger suffered a ruptured spleen and broken bones.

Now Donson has been jailed for more than seven years after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

A jury at Bolton Crown Court^[2] heard how Donson had left the Bloom bar, on Bloom Street in Manchester, with three people in the rear of the a silver BMW 320D. and another passenger sat in the front.

The group were planning on travelling to Bury for a party and drove along the M602 and the M60. After leaving the motorway, CCTV footage showed how the the vehicle 'lost control' and moved to the wrong side of the road before smashing into a Renault Megane and Ford Transit Van on Bury New Road at around 6.05am.

Donson and the front seat passenger then got out of the driver's door side before running away from the collision scene, leaving the other three passengers in the back. They ran towards a nearby estate, with CCTV footage showing a taxi leaving the area a short time later.

Police said Donson had been 'evading capture' and making it 'extremely difficult' to be located following the fatal collision, as he 'moved back and forth between areas in southern England'. He was eventually arrested at a flat in Luton in August 2022.

The three passengers in the back of the car were rushed to Salford Royal Hospital from the scene. Aaron died later that morning. A second passenger suffered a ruptured spleen and bone fractures.

Following Aaron's death, who was a bar manager in the Gay Village, heartfelt tributes were paid to the 'free-spirited' 31-year-old. His heartbroken family described him as 'a party-loving lad that just loved everyone'.

From the forensic collision report, calculations indicated the BMW was travelling at 42mph as it entered the left-hand bend onto Bury New Road. Had the BMW been travelling at the speed limit, investigators concluded that it would have been able to safely negotiate the bend.

As well as being jailed for seven years and six months, Donson, who was sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court on Wednesday (June 28), was also disqualified from driving for 10 years and ordered to pay a victim surcharge.

Sergeant Andrew Page, of GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Today’s sentencing is the result of a lengthy investigation. Extensive work was conducted by the police to locate Donson after he left the scene of the collision. It appears he was actively evading capture since the collision occurred before his arrest in August 2022. Donson made it extremely difficult for us to locate him by moving back and forth between areas of southern England.

“It took a coordinated effort from the Officer in the Case, Greater Manchester’s Force Critical Wanted Unit and Bedfordshire Police in order to locate Donson, where he was subsequently arrested at a flat in Luton on Monday 22 August 2022 by colleagues at Bedfordshire Police.

"I would like to thank all parties who were involved in this operation, their tenacity in getting justice for the victims of this case has led to today’s result.”

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References

1. ^{^} Nightclub brawler and his pal punched and kicked man in 6am flare up (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Bolton Crown Court (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
3. ^{^} or click here (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)