A young rugby player from Ottery St Mary has denied that he was driving dangerously when he crashed in a country lane, seriously injuring a teammate.

Taine Benson was allegedly showing off by driving at 70 mph on the back road between Sidmouth and Exmouth when he misjudged a bend and crashed at Pinn Lane, Otterton.

His car hit a hedge on a left-hand bend, flipped over three or four times and landed on its side 29 metres away, trapping back seat passenger Tim Goody inside with a seriously injured leg. He was freed by firefighters from Sidmouth and Exmouth.

Benson was taking two friends from the Sidmouth Rugby Club to a McDonalds in Exmouth at around 8.30 pm on September 2, 2021, when the crash happened. He was just 17 at the time and had only passed his driving test in May.

A jury at Exeter Crown Court was told that just before the crash, front-seat passenger Yan Mercan and Mr Goody had joked that they were 'going to die' because they were worried by Benson’s speed.

The police produced a video of the route showing a single-track road which was wide enough for two vehicles to pass each other but did not have a white line down the middle.

Benson, aged 20, from Hawkins Lane, West Hill, Ottery St Mary, denies causing serious injury by dangerous driving but the jury have been told he admits the lesser offence of careless driving.

Miss Holly Gilbery, prosecuting, said Benson and his two passengers agreed to go for a drive after rugby training at Sidford and after stopping at Peak Hill, Sidmouth, they decided to move on to Exmouth for a takeaway.

She said Mr Goody and Yan Mercan became alarmed at the speed at which Benson was driving and both noted it was 70 mph on the dashboard.

Miss Gilbery said: “At first they joked about the speed, saying something akin to ‘we’re going to die’ but as they went on they both became nervous and Mr Mercan told Benson to slow down. He did not.

“He came across a bend too fast, bit the bank and flipped the car. It rotated and ended on its side 29 metres up the road.”

Benson was able to get out but had concussion and did not even know he had been driving the car, saying ‘who’s crashed my car? I never let anyone drive my car’. He later told police he had no memory of the accident.

Mr Mercan got out unhurt but Mr Goody was trapped inside the back of the car with a wound to his leg which needed an operation under general anaesthetic to repair his Achilles tendon and other injuries. He spent two nights at the RD&E.

Miss Gilbery said: Our case is that he Benson drove too fast for that stretch of road, which he was not familiar with in low visibility. We say he was showing off to his friends and driving dangerously.”

The trial continues.