Ion Toader apologises for killing Ronald Cardenas and leaving Ruxandra Zavoianu in coma after flipping Mercedes at speed

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The drunk driver of a Mercedes who ran over a couple on a date, leaving one dead and the other in a coma, has been jailed for almost seven years.

Ion Toader, 34, had drunk about seven shots of cherry brandy with an old school friend, argued with his girlfriend and then ignored pleas not to drive on the evening of 17 December last year.

Motorists had to swerve out of the way as he sped for five miles down a road before smashing into a pedestrian island and flipping his car on to the pair as they waited to cross the road.

Toader, who is self-employed, had reached speeds of up to 64mph on the 30mph stretch before the collision on Willesden High Road in London. The incident was captured on CCTV.

Ronald Cardenas, 32, a web designer, was pronounced dead at the scene and Ruxandra Zavoianu, 28, a commercial manager, suffered multiple injuries, the Old Bailey heard.

The pair had met on the Tinder dating app a few days before and arranged to meet for a drink before they were knocked down by Toader.

Zavoianu woke from a coma a month later with no memory of what had happened, but then “frightening” images began to resurface.

She said in a statement: “I could remember a body near me and this was frightening. After a few days I managed to say, ‘Was I alone when it happened?’

“I started to see a body without a head. We just met a few days before on Tinder. Eight months later, I’m still not back to normal. I’m still fighting.”

The court heard that Cardenas, from Ecuador, had recently become a father and was working in Carnaby Street before starting to study for a master’s degree.

His mother, who could not attend court because her flights had been disrupted by hurricanes, said his death had caused “indescribable pain”.

Toader, of Willesden, north London, admitted causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving and apologised to his victims as he was sentenced.

In a prepared statement, Toader, who has a two-year-old son, said he took “full responsibility”, adding: “I wish I could turn back time.”

Judge Philip Katz QC told him: “On December 17 last year, by your dangerous and drunken driving, you killed Ronald Cardenas and very seriously injured Ruxandra Zavoianu, pedestrians waiting to cross the road.

“They did nothing whatsoever to contribute to what happened. The fault for what happened is entirely yours.”

The judge highlighted the devastation of Cardenas’s family and the “dreadful impact” on Zavoianu, who had just started working for an intellectual property firm.

“The list of her injuries is horrifying. She is lucky to be alive. She could easily have died too,” he said.

“The harm you have caused is profound. One death and another life massively damaged. Your culpability is at the highest level.”

Toader decided to drive while “obviously drunk” and, five hours after the crash, his blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit, the judge said.

Toader was jailed for six years and eight months for causing death by dangerous driving and three years for causing serious injury, to be served concurrently. He was also banned from driving for five years.