A man had to be resuscitated at the side of the road after sustaining serious brain injuries when his drugged up friend crashed their car.

Sam Baron, 24, had been driving in Hyndburn Road, Great Harwood, in the early hours of October 30, 2022, when he lost control of the red Vauxhall Corsa.

Preston Crown Court heard how he lost control of the vehicle, with it spinning 180 degrees and crashing into a tree.

Victim, Connor Reagan, was in the passenger seat and while Baron escaped relatively unscathed, Mr Reagan sustained serious injuries in the smash at 4.45am.

Prosecuting, Paul Brookwell said: “Baron shouted for help and the emergency services were called.

"Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene, and paramedics later administered CPR and a defibrillator to Mr Reagan after he started to go into cardiac arrest."

Mr Reagan was driven to Royal Blackburn Hospital for immediate treatment, then to Royal Preston Hospital, were tests concluded he suffered from neck and hip fractures, brain injuries, and a fractured spine.

In a victim statement, Mr Reagan said: "I cannot recall the exact events of the night, but I can recall the excruciating levels of pain at the time.

"My life has been reduced to the needs of a child and to the critical 24 hour care of my family."

Mr Brookwell told the court how Baron, of Wordsworth Drive, Great Harwood, was driving at speed along the road when the crash occurred.

Following the incident, police conducted a drugs test on him and he tested positive for high amounts of cocaine.

A police breath test also found alcohol in his system, as both men had been on a night out together before Baron made the fateful decision to get behind the wheel.

Mr Brookwell told the court how Mr Reagan was due to start a new job, and was planning to go on holiday to propose to his partner before the devastating incident.

Mr Reagan was finally discharged from Southport Spinal Unit in August this year, and is undergoing physiotherapy to further recover from his injuries.

The court heard Baron has previous convictions for driving without a licence and driving without insurance aged 16.

He gave no comment when interviewed by police officers at the end of last year, but pleaded guilty to the charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and drug and drink driving.

Wayne Barnes, mitigating, said the defendant's previous convictions should not be taken into consideration as he was a child at the time.

He said: “Sam recognises this is a tragedy and it does not mitigate from what the victim and his family has gone through, but he has a wife and two sons who depend on him and would struggle without him."

Judge Guy Mathieson told the court he was sorry it had taken so long for the case to reach court, but wanted to review the details in-depth.

Addressing the defendant, he said: “I want to make it plain that this case is not just about you.

"Mr Reagan is not in court today and I wish he was so you would have been reminded of your actions.

"His injuries had a large impact not only on him but also his wife and family. He is a young man with hopes, dreams and ambitions who has been, as he says, like an infant.

"To drive on public roads is a privilege, and you turned the vehicle into a weapon with your actions. The blame is entirely on you for choosing to drive that night."

Judge Mathieson sentenced Baron to 15 months in prison and banned him from the roads for three years.