Drink driver Daniel Crawshaw jailed at Leeds Crown Court following crash that resulted in death of 20-year-old passenger

Daniel Crawshaw, 28, is believed to have consumed 10 alcoholic drinks and said “five and drive” to witnesses on a night out in Holmfirth and Huddersfield. He then got behind the wheel of a car that in the early hours of Saturday, March 7, 2020, left the road and collided with a stone wall.

20-year-old Keegan Edgall was a passenger in the BMW coupe and suffered fatal injuries, meanwhile fellow passenger Thomas Boothroyd, now 28, sustained serious injuries. Crawshaw, of Bourne Walk, Staincross, Barnsley, was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison today (December 19) at Leeds Crown Court.

He had pleaded pleaded guilty to offences of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and he will also be disqualified from driving for two years after release.

The crash occurred at around 3:15am on March 7, 2020. Police received a report that a car had left the road and collided with a stone wall on the B6108 Huddersfield Road at South Crosland, near Meltham.

A witness described Crawshaw getting out of the car and approaching them but not mentioning the critically injured passengers. He was talking to a family member on his mobile phone and was clearly heavily intoxicated when police arrived,

Detective Constable Clare Barran of West Yorkshire Police’s Major Collision Enquiry Team said: “This tragic incident was completely avoidable. Crawshaw chose to drink and drive on that night, well aware that he would have been over the limit. His arrogance and initial failure to accept his wrongdoing has extended the suffering and pain that Keegan’s family have had to endure.”

With the festive period in full swing, West Yorkshire Police are highlighting potential consequences of driving after drinking or taking drugs as part of the annual #WYPTheCost awareness and enforcement campaign.

Sergeant Mick Kilburn, also from the Major Collision Enquiry Team, added: “No sentence can ever reflect the tragic loss of life in this case. It serves as a timely reminder, certainly with the festive season upon us, that alcohol and driving simply do not mix. The message from West Yorkshire Police is clear. Do not drink and drive.”