A drug dealer who was being chased by police crashed a BMW into a parked car and seriously injured a 10-year-old girl inside the stationary vehicle the day before her birthday, a court heard.
Adam Darbous, 23, reached speeds of 62mph in 30mph zones during the police pursuit, which lasted two minutes, before he slammed into a red Daihatsu car parked on Portman Road in Ipswich on February 3 this year.
Darbous, of Cecil Road, Ipswich, then fled the scene and managed to evade officers before handing himself in the next day, Benedict Peers, prosecuting, told Ipswich Crown Court.
The family in the Daihatsu had parked in Portman Road to buy a birthday cake for the young girl as she was turning 11 the following day, Mr Peers told the court.
The girl was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital and suffered a fractured skull and bleed on the brain.
She was placed into a medically-induced coma for five days of her 10-day stay at the Cambridge hospital, Mr Peers said.
The injuries are likely to affect her ability to learn in the future, and she struggles to follow instructions, the court heard.
The girl's mother, father, and younger brother also suffered injuries in the crash but they were less serious.
In a victim impact statement read to the court by Mr Peers, the girl's mother said the lives of family members had been changed as a result of the crash.
She said she had suffered "sleepless nights" worrying about her daughter and has noticed a change in the behaviour of her daughter since the crash.
After he handed himself in, Darbous read a prepared statement to officers in police interview.
He claimed his brakes had failed as he came into the road but following the crash, a police crash investigator examined the BMW.
He said although the brake discs were heavily worn, in his view, the crash "was a failure to negotiate the bend because of the speed the car was travelling", Mr Peers said.
A total of 160g of cannabis, with a street value of £480-£800, was also found in the car after it was seized.
Darbous, who is a father-of-one, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and possession of cannabis with intent to supply on March 7.
Peter Spary, representing Darbous, said he was "haunted by the situation" and was "in the midst of turning his life around".
Recorder Gabrielle Posner adjourned sentence until Thursday morning and remanded Darbous in custody.
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