Watch moment couple are saved from collision with speeding South Shields car by unlikely hero

Daniel Topp's vehicle veered straight towards a couple walking along a road after he crashed into into the back of a VW Transporter while re-tuning his radio.

Shocking CCTV from the scene shows the car, which was just moments from impact with the pair in Ocean Road in South Shields, was stopped by a tree and disaster just narrowly avoided.

Prosecutor Michael Bunch told Newcastle Crown Court: "The defendant's vehicle, it would seem, failed to have any awareness of the vehicle in front and hit it, full speed.

"The speed on cctv shows it greatly in excess of the speed limit for that road.

"The effect of the collision was to cause the rear of the defendant's car to raise into the air and to move sidewards, towards the pavement.

"There was a couple walking along that side of the pavement.

"It was only because of a tree stopping the movement of the vehicle they were not struck by the defendant's car."

A man and woman inside Topp's car suffered injuries including a fractured wrist and bruising in the crash last September.

The court heard the passengers were friends of one of Topp's pals and he did not know them but had agreed to give them a lift to Morrisons.

The woman told police afterwards she had been "scared and nervous" during the journey due to the speed Topp was travelling.

Topp, who was also injured, ran from the scene and caught the Metro train home despite being blood-soaked.

Topp, 34, of Tenant Street, Hebburn, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop and failing to report an accident.

Mr Recorder Singh sentenced him to 18 months behind bars with a three year road ban.

The judge said the driving could have led to "disaster" and told Topp: "The speed of the impact is there for all to see.

"It was horrendous the speed you were travelling.

"Your car hit the tree and prevented further injury to pedestrians going about their every day business.

"This could have been absolutely catastrophic."

Alec Burns, defending, said Topp has a job and a mortgage and had been re-tuning his radio when the impact happened.

Mr Burns said: "He was adjusting his radio, it was manually adjusted.

"He knows he should not have done that.

"He 'came to' on a Metro train covered in blood and his face was covered in blood.

"He did carry on and go home."

Mr Burns said a prison sentence would cost Topp his job and potentially his home.