The 19-year-old was allegedly under the influence of nitrous oxide when he reportedly "lost control" of his BMW, hitting a lamppost, stone wall, and large tree, killing all three of his friends in the car with him.
A teenager has pleaded guilty to causing the deaths of three of his friends in a high-speed single-car accident while he was under the influence of nitrous oxide, often referred to as laughing gas.
Thomas Johnson (top left above), 19, of Shrivenham in Oxford Shire, England, was sentenced to 9 years and 4 months after his guilty plea. He's also disqualified from driving for 11 years and 11 weeks, per a statement released by the Thames Valley Police.
According to the BBC, Johnson had only had his license less than a year at the time of the accident. In court, he pleaded guilty to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving.
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View StoryThe Fatal Accident
The fatal accident occurred on June 19, 2023, when Johnson was driving around with his three friends, Elliot Pullen (bottom left above), 17, Daniel Hancock (bottom middle above), and Ethan Goddard (bottom right above), 18, in his BMW 3 Series near the village of Marcham.
He was under the influence of nitrous oxide, per police, which was not yet a criminal offense in the UK, though driving impaired was. Nitrous oxide has since been classified as a Class C drug.
Per police, Johnson was driving at speeds up to 100mph in a 30mph zone that evening, while using nitrous oxide. It was just after midnight on June 20 that he passed a vehicle, according to the release, at a high speed and lost control of his car.
Authorities estimate he was traveling at approximately 97 mph just before he flew off the street, hitting a lamppost, a stone wall, and finally a large tree; the force of the collision "ripped the roof off" the vehicle, per police.
All three of his friends suffered "catastrophic injuries," per the release, and died at the scene. Johnson was also critically injured but survived after several months in the hospital
"This was without a doubt one of the most catastrophic and tragic collisions I have ever investigated," said Senior Investigating Officer Detective Sergeant Tony Jenkins of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit. "The speeds at which Johnson was driving were staggering, particularly given the road he was driving on."
The Police Investigation
In investigating the scene, police said they found nine cannisters of nitrous oxide, as well as evidentiary video of its use that night by Johnson while he was driving. A still photograph taken by England's ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) system appeared to show Johnson inhaling the gas via balloon, per police, along with his front seat passenger.
Additional video from the boys' phones shown in court, per The Independent, showed the boys inhaling from balloons, while the final video, taken within a minute of the crash, per the BBC, shows the car accelerating from a red light while Johnson attempts to intentionally skid the vehicle. A crash scene investigator also determined Johnson had intentionally disabled the car's dynamic stability control and traction control systems, per the outlet.
In November 2023, while being interviewed by police, Johnson accepted he was the driver, but said he had no memory of the events leading up to or involving the crash. A pharmacology expert affirmed that nitrous oxide can cause "disorientation and impairment," per the press release.
Police determined there was no evidence of any other intoxicant in Johnson's system at the time of the accident, but the nitrous oxide was enough that "he would have been significantly and severely impaired, similar to the impairment you would have if under the influence of alcohol," according to Jenkins.
"Ethan, Elliot and Daniel stood no chance. They were simply enjoying a night out, and their lives were needlessly and tragically cut short by Johnson’s actions," he continued. "Johnson alone was responsible for these tragic deaths. He will have to live with the consequences of his decisions that night for the rest of his life."
Police were clear that they don't believe Johnson "set out that night to harm anyone," but "his decisions did directly and tragically result in the deaths of Ethan, Elliot and Daniel."
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View StoryIn the Courtroom
Judge Emma Nott said that his actions were "all for teenage thrills," but because of his choices, "three passengers will never see beyond their teenage years and you move out of yours significantly and permanently disabled."
As reported by The Independent, Johnson suffered traumatic brain injuries, a collapsed lung, cracked ribs, permanent loss of sight in one eye and visible facial disfiguration as a result of the accident.
Nott said his facial injuries would serve as a "permanent reminder" that he'd killed his friends.
The families of the victims described Johnson in a joint statement as a "cocky teenage boy," per the BBC, urging others "not to be that driver who shows such disregard for their friends' lives."
"He's ruined everyone's life," said Goddard's father Robert. "He's taken three, ruined his own life, devastated ours, just for showing off."
"I know he's just a cocky teenage boy, I know he's not an awful person but he made some awful decisions and I really hope that he feels guilty for what he's done," commented Pullen's sister Mia. "This is his fault, he's done this, he's killed them and I hope it stays with him forever."
"No amount of imprisonment will bring our sons back home and we take little comfort in the sentencing of someone else’s son," the families said in their joint statement. "However, we do hope that this will serve as a deterrent to other drivers, especially young men."
"If just one person adjusts their attitude to driving, or one person thinks twice about being a passenger along for the ride," they added, "then there is hope that something good can come out of this tragedy."