Drink-Driver Who Claimed She Was an ‘Amazing Driver’ Gets Just Two Years After Ex-Footballer Loses Leg in Mercedes Crash

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Woman receives 28 months sentence after causing accident that cost Jordan Chiedozie his leg. — Image Credit: Hampshire Police, UK / jaychids via Instagram.

Philip Uwaoma

Mon, January 26, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC

4 min read

A dramatic and tragic collision on England’s M27 motorway drew fresh scrutiny to how courts handle drink-driving cases that leave victims permanently disabled.

In a case that reads like a cautionary tale for motorists everywhere, a 45-year-old woman from Berkshire admitted to crashing her Mercedes into a vehicle stopped on the hard shoulder while she was not only intoxicated but also actively engaged in FaceTime calls and professing herself to be an “amazing driver.”

The victim, former professional footballer Jordan Chiedozie, lost a leg and endured multiple catastrophic injuries in the wreck. Yet the sentence handed down this week — just 28 months in prison — left people debating whether penalties in such cases adequately reflect the irreversible harm caused.

A Routine Stop Turns Catastrophic on the Hard Shoulder

The collision occurred after nightfall on February 1, 2025, when Chiedozie pulled over on the hard shoulder of the motorway to check a flat tire on his Volkswagen Golf.

This is exactly the kind of situation for which the move over law exists in the US. The law requires derivers approaching stopped vehicles on the roadside to move over one lane if they can do so safely or slow their speed significantly below the posted limit.

Despite the presence of hazard lights and reflective clothing, a Mercedes driven by Anna Malgorzata Bogusiewicz plowed into the Golf at speed, striking Chiedozie and his physio companion.

Emergency services rushed him to a hospital where his injuries were so severe that doctors had no option but to amputate his right leg. He also suffered open fractures in his left leg and a cracked pelvis and was placed into an induced coma.

Intoxication, Distraction, and a "Grim Irony"

Police testing afterward showed Bogusiewicz had nearly twice the legal alcohol limit in her system at the time of the crash. Investigators also uncovered multiple video calls on her phone in the minutes before the impact, adding to the grim irony of her defense.

According to court records, she described herself as an “amazing driver” during initial questioning, even as evidence mounted of her impaired judgment and reckless behavior behind the wheel.

The stark contradiction between that self-assessment and the disastrous outcome of her driving understandably became a focal point in public reaction.

Prosecutors argued that the combination of drink-driving and distracted driving represented clear, dangerous negligence. Prosecuting counsel told the court that there was no excuse for getting behind the wheel while impaired by alcohol and using a phone at the same time.

“This terrible collision, which has changed a man’s life, could have easily been avoided if the defendant hadn’t made that selfish decision to drive while drunk,” said Detective Constable Joy Jarvis.

A Life Altered, A Sentence Debated

In his victim impact statement, Chiedozie offered a poignant glimpse of the human cost. “Before, my life was simple. I played football professionally and part-time, and I worked as a roofer every day. Everything I loved to do is no longer easy,” he said, reflecting on how the injuries have upended his daily existence.

He admitted he would love to have his old life back but acknowledged that “it won’t ever be because of one day that changed everything.”

Yet in the eyes of some observers, the sentence imposed at Southampton Crown Court on January 23 does not match the gravity of the harm inflicted. Bogusiewicz was convicted of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and drink-driving and received 28 months in prison, along with a three-year driving ban and a requirement to take an extended driving retest before she can ever get behind the wheel again.

Trans-Atlantic Contrast in Sentencing and a Long Road to Recovery

Jordan Chiedozie walks off at the end of the game with Kaka and Shwan Jalal. — Image Credit: jaychid/Instagram.

Critics on both sides of the Atlantic have pointed out that a similar sentence of just over two years in custody may seem light in cases where a victim is left with a lifelong disability. In the United States, sentences for similar conduct vary widely by state, but many jurisdictions impose substantially harsher penalties when drink-driving results in serious bodily injury.

In some states, causing a vehicular injury while intoxicated can trigger felony charges with decades-long possible prison terms, especially when accompanied by aggravating factors like phone use or repeated offenses.

The U.K. guidelines, by contrast, are framed more around culpability and the absence of intent to harm, which can result in lower maximum sentences even when the physical consequences are devastating.

For Chiedozie, the road ahead is long. With support from former teammates and the wider football community, he has begun adapting to life with a prosthetic and is focused on recovery, even as he continues to come to terms with the profound changes to his life.

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