A van driver from Llanddewi Brefi is facing jail for causing a workmate horrific injuries when he crashed after driving “recklessly” at up to 100mph.

Thomas Sawyer, 20, was “competitive and aggressive” when he was overtaken by another van on his way home from work.

His passenger Gwyndaf Jolly, from Tregaron, screamed at him to slow down before Sawyer’s Citroën Relay flatbed van crashed into a tree.

“I was holding on for dear life screaming: ‘We are going to crash, we are going to crash’,” Mr Jolly said.

The van swerved across the A40 near Sennybridge, mounted the verge and ploughed into a tree with such force it tipped up almost vertically before landing on its side.

“I dragged myself onto the tarmac,” said Mr Jolly. “I looked up at the stars and waited to die”.

Workmates in a following van arrived at the crash scene and managed to get Sawyer out, moments before it burst into flames.

Mr Jolly, 21, told how his friend and work colleague’s “reckless” driving left him with life-changing injuries and needing mobility aids.

Sawyer denied causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He was found guilty at Merthyr Crown Court and was warned to expect prison when he is sentenced later this month.

See this week’s South paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now