A drink-driver who sent his Lamborghini soaring through the air at 121mph on a Staffordshire road has been jailed for three years and three months, with police saying it was only luck that prevented a fatality.

Andrew Woodward, 61, of Needwood, was behind the wheel of his Lamborghini Huracan STO on Rangemore Hill on August 3 last year when he reached the extreme speed, despite his passenger pleading with him to slow down. Officers said Woodward was treating public roads "like a racetrack" as he pushed the high-performance car far beyond safe limits.

He eventually lost control of the vehicle, colliding with street furniture at a roundabout before the Lamborghini became airborne and crashed down in a nearby field. Both Woodward and his passenger suffered serious injuries and were rushed to hospital following the smash.

Woodward was found to be over the legal drink-drive limit at the time of the crash. He later admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving as well as drink-driving, and appeared at Stafford Crown Court this week, where he received his custodial sentence.

Sergeant Christopher Sweetmore, who led the investigation into the crash, said Woodward had consumed alcohol before getting behind the wheel and then drove at reckless speeds in his sports car. He said Woodward "treated public roads like a racetrack" and drove in a manner that "terrified his passenger."

Sweetmore added that it was only "sheer luck, rather than judgment" that prevented the incident from becoming a fatal one, underlining the severity of the danger Woodward's driving posed to himself, his passenger, and anyone else who might have been on the road at the time.

The case has drawn attention to the dangers posed by powerful sports cars being driven at excessive speeds on public roads, particularly when combined with alcohol consumption. The Lamborghini Huracan STO is a high-performance vehicle capable of extreme speeds, making Woodward's decision to drive it at 121mph while over the limit especially alarming to investigators.

With his sentencing now complete, Woodward will serve his three-year, three-month term, closing the chapter on an incident that police say could have ended in tragedy were it not for fortunate circumstances. Authorities continue to warn against the combination of alcohol and reckless speed, which remains one of the leading causes of serious and fatal collisions on UK roads.

Source: Yahoo News UK

Earlier in this series: England goalkeeper Pickford admits careless driving after near-miss in Lamborghini