A pensioner told today how his life has been turned upside down by the thoughtless actions of a dangerous driver.

Donald Priest, 72, is still recovering from the accident more than a year ago which left him with five steel pins in his leg.

He was severely injured when a stolen Ford Escort driven by Gary Whibley, 19, crashed after heading the wrong way up Ditchling Road, Brighton.

The car jumped a red light, crashed with a taxi, then slammed into two other cars before striking Mr Priest, who had been walking past.

Jamie White, 18, a passenger in the car, was killed in the crash in November 1999. Whibley was jailed for a total of eight years for causing death by dangerous driving and aggravated vehicle taking.

Mr Priest spent five weeks in hospital and had a six-hour operation.

He says since the accident he has found it hard to sleep and walk properly and can no longer do the gardening, his favourite pastime.

Mr Priest, who has seven children and seven grandchildren, lives in Canterbury Drive, Brighton.

He returned to the scene of the crash on the anniversary last month because he felt he needed to see the area again.

He said: "I went to have two pints at the pub again and I wanted to see where I had been a year before. I just thought of myself on the pavement with the policeman looking down at me."

Mr Priest, a former Brighton newsagent, said: "I had this feeling of great sadness for a while and I feel very sorry for the family of the boy who died.

"I used to be a blacksmith and am used to working with my hands but I cannot do so any more because of this. I used to read a lot but I don't do that now and I cannot watch TV."

He said of his garden: "It used to be like Wembley. I used to cut the grass in lines. People would stop and look at it and speak about it."

He paid tribute to his relatives for their support and added: "Next year I just want to get by. As long as I can go for short walks I will be happy."