Emergency services were called to the A29 Shripney Road, Bognor, on the evening of June 26, 2024.
Tony Daniels, 46, had been driving with his wife, Jade, when they were struck by a black Audi A3 travelling in the opposite direction.
Despite the best efforts of passers-by and paramedics, Tony, from Felpham was declared deceased at the scene.
Police blocked the road from the junction with the A259 (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)
Jade was also seriously injured, as was the Audi driver – identified as 25-year-old Louie Everitt, of The Croft, in Bersted, near Bognor.
At the scene, police reported Everitt to smell strongly of alcohol. However, he refused to provide a sample of saliva or blood for analysis to test if he was over the legal limit.
Witnesses said they had seen him speeding, tailgating and overtaking other vehicles prior to the collision.
One witness reported him driving “like a lunatic” and grossly in excess of the 40mph speed limit.
Everitt was arrested and charged with causing death by dangerous driving, causing death while driving uninsured and failing to give permission for a test on a laboratory sample, having caused a death.
At Portsmouth Crown Court on December 23, Everitt was sentenced to a total of eight years’ imprisonment, reduced from 12 years for his early guilty pleas.
Everitt was sentenced to 8 years in prison (Image: Sussex Police)
He must serve at least two thirds of his sentence before being released on licence and is also disqualified from driving for five years from his release date.
Upon sentencing, the judge remarked that Tony was “laid back, kind and funny, and is missed every day”.
He added: “His family will continue to miss him, and the reason why is because you (Everitt) decided to drive your car at speed when you were impaired. You smelt strongly of alcohol and failed to provide a sample for analysis.
“You were driving far too fast, with estimates from witnesses between 60-100mph. Regardless, it was grossly excessive. It was a hideously dangerous piece of driving leading to tragic but entirely predictable consequences.”
Jade paid tribute to her husband Tony, whom she had been married to since September 2021.
Tony’s family paid tribute to the (Image: Sussex Police)
She said: “Antony – Tony Tiger – was the heart of our family. His laughter filled our home, and his kindness touched everyone he met. When he was taken from us so suddenly, our world changed in an instant. The loss left a silence that still feels heavy, and a space that can never truly be filled.
“As a family, we grieve not only the man we lost, but the future moments we were meant to share – birthdays, quiet conversations and ordinary days that were extraordinary simply because he was there. Yet even in our grief, Antony’s love continues to guide us.
“To the driver who decided to drive impaired (Louie Everitt), your decision changed our lives forever. We hope you carry the weight of that choice and let it be the reason you never make it again. Eight years is nothing compared to the life sentence we have all received.
“He will always be missed, always loved, and never forgotten.”
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