TWO men were using the roads “like a racetrack” before a crash which left a cyclist with a broken neck and a collapsed lung.

A court heard how Thomas Lycett, 21, of Woodlands Road, Totton and Jacob Reginald Titt, 23, of Poplar Crescent, Ringwood were driving at speeds of up to 100mph in a 40mph limit moments before.

The pair had been meeting friends at a fish bar before climbing into their cars, with Titt driving a Scoda and Lycett in a BMW.

CCTV captured the vehicles “flashing by” as they travelled at high speeds with one witness saying they had been going “much quicker” than she had ever seen a car on that road.

Meanwhile, 45-year-old Thomas Watt was on a family bike ride with his wife and two daughters when he started to lead his family across Salisbury Road in Calmore.

Prosecuting, Tim Naik told the court how Mr Watt had not even reached halfway across the road when Titt’s car “ploughed” into his bicycle.

READ MORE: Cyclist seriously injured in crash at Calmore

The cyclist then flew into the air, landing 43-metres away from the scene of the crash.

He was rushed to Southampton General Hospital with life-changing injuries including two fractured vertebrae in his neck, fractures to his ankle, ribs and shoulder and a collapsed lung.

Mr Naik added that the pair had been driving in a “competitive nature” and it was “showing off by two inexperienced drivers”.

In a statement from Mr Watt, which Mr Naik read out in court, he said: “It was a miracle that I was the only one injured. I was in so much pain.

“The physical effects have been really hard for me to cope with. I have to deal with the pain like I never felt before.

“Simple things are now not so simple. I’m back to work but not to the same point I was before the collision.”

Daily Echo: Jacob Titt (left) and Thomas Lycett (right) were both jailed following the crash. Photo from: Hampshire Constabulary. Jacob Titt (left) and Thomas Lycett (right) were both jailed following the crash. Photo from: Hampshire Constabulary. (Image: Hampshire Constabulary.)

The self-employed gardener went on to say that since the incident on October 11, 2020, he has returned to work but is “not the same person [he] was before the collision”.

Meanwhile, in a second statement read to the court, his wife Claire, who witnessed the crash described the incident as “shocking, traumatic and incredibly upsetting”.

Both Titt and Lycett appeared at Southampton Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Titt was jailed for 18 months and disqualified from driving for three years and nine months.

Lycett was jailed for 14 months and disqualified from driving for three years and seven months.

Detective Constable Mark Furse, of the Roads Policing Unit, said: "Titt and Lycett were driving so fast they are lucky to have not killed someone. It was a matter of pure luck that neither of the children were struck by either car as well.

"Mr Watt will now have to live with the injuries they caused by their reckless and selfish actions.

"Speed limits are there for a reason and to exceed them by this much - more than double in some parts of the roads they were driving on - caused a huge risk to themselves and other innocent road users.

"This case highlights the dangers posed to young, inexperienced drivers who decide to use the roads like a race track and drive way beyond their capabilities. The rules of the road are there for a reason and apply to all drivers.

“Please think of other more vulnerable road users before making the decision to drive in such a dangerous and selfish manner.”

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