Liskeard Man Jailed After Fatal Drink-Drive Collision Near Totnes

A man from Liskeard has been jailed after admitting causing a death by careless driving while over the drink drive limit.

Collision near Totnes

Jack Goodman, 27, was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving and causing serious injury by careless driving to another passenger.

The charges relate to a single-vehicle collision at Halwell Cross, near Totnes, on Friday 26th April 2024.

The rear-seat passenger, Thomas McNally, better known as Tommy, 31, from Torbay, died as a result of the collision.

Drinking before getting behind the wheel

The court heard that Jack had consumed a pint of lager and eight pints of Guinness during the evening before driving his Seat Leon.

He had been drinking at a pub in Blackawton from around 2.30pm with work colleagues and left just before 9pm with three passengers. One passenger was dropped off at Totnes Railway Station before the collision occurred.

During the journey, one passenger sent a text message expressing concern about the manner of driving. A phone call was also answered in the car, with the caller overhearing a passenger asking Jack to slow down.

Emergency response and arrest

Emergency services were called to the scene at around 9.30pm. Officers found the car embedded in a hedge with substantial damage to the front end and two men seriously injured.

Jack sustained minor injuries and was arrested at the scene.

Despite the efforts of officers and medical professionals, Thomas died in hospital two days later. The front seat passenger suffered serious injuries and is still recovering.

Court sentencing

Jack pleaded guilty at Plymouth Crown Court on 27th November 2025.

He returned to court on Friday 23rd January 2026, where he was sentenced to three years in prison and disqualified from driving for five years following his release.

Police statement

Detective Sergeant Troy Bennett, from the Serious Collisions Investigation Team, said:

“In his summing up, Judge Robert Linford said that Goodman did not set out to cause the death of Tommy McNally and seriously injure his front seat passenger, however that consequence is exactly what happened because he drank to excess and then drove.

This was a totally avoidable and utterly needless death.

Driving whilst impaired through alcohol is one of the most dangerous behaviours identified in the ‘fatal five’ causes of serious injuries and deaths on our roads.

My simple message to motorists is to not drink and then drive.

This collision has had a devastating impact on the friends and family of Tommy, and also the other passenger, who is still recovering from his injuries almost two years later.”