'My life is destroyed' - Sunderland taxi driver speaks of ordeal after drunk driver crashes into his cab in early morning horror smash

Alal Huda, from Hendon, was driving home from a shift with Station Taxis when his cab was hit head-on by a driver who was almost twice the drink-drive limit.

The crash took place at 6am on on Sunday, October 27, when drink driver George Blair lost control of the 69-plate blue BMW 420 on the A690 Durham Road.

Blair, 23, of Dellfield Drive, Pennywell, will be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on Wednesday, December 18, after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, drink driving, driving other than in accordance with a licence, and having no insurance.

South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard how Blair slammed into an oncoming Dacia driven by Alal Huda – before hitting metal railings and ramming into a nearby shop following a night of drinking.

A breath test revealed he had 66 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

The crash left victim Mr Huda, 33, with leg breaks in three places meaning he is unable to work and struggling to provide for his family.

Opening up about the ordeal he said: “My life has been destroyed after this accident.

“I am self-employed and if I don’t work I don’t get paid.

“I have two young boys and a wife and I am the only person who earns.

“I have a mortgage and credit card debts and for me to fully recover it will take at least a year.

“My right ankle was snapped in half following the crash and I had three broken bones in my right leg.

“Two of my bones shattered into pieces.

“I have had three major operations to correct the leg so I can walk normally again.”

Mr Huda had to have titanium plates put into his leg and is looking at an uncertain future but says he’s thankful to be alive after seeing the shocking CCTV footage of the crash.

He continued: “The ambulance service said I am luck to still be breathing.

“I am so grateful I didn’t have a passenger in at the time.”

Mr Huda has been driving for around 15 years and has been a taxi driver for five years.

He only started with Station Taxis seven months ago and had just bought a brand new car two weeks before the accident which he says he is now struggling to pay off.

He continued: “The experience has been surreal to me. I am not sleeping.

“I have a four-year-old and an eight-year-old and I have worked hard to give them a good life and a good education.

“But this accident has left me crippled in every way – mentally and physically – and I am now I am unable to work.

“My biggest worry is financial stress.”

Mr Huda is now appealing for anyone who is able to help him with regards to counselling sessions or even financial advice to get in touch via the Echo.

He said: “I have always been an independent person but I have lost that now thanks to this drunken driver.

“If anyone if able to help me in any way I would be so grateful.”

He continued: “My message to drink drivers or people who are not sensible would be that it’s not just your life you are going to destroy.”