A NURSE who was struck by a Casualty star in a cocaine-fuelled car crash has described how he is lucky to still be alive.
Amanda Mealing, who also appeared as cardio thoracic consultant Connie Beauchamp on Holby City, veered across a road in her Mini.
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The 57-year-old then ploughed into Mark Le Sage’s vehicle as he drove to work in Deeping St Nicholas, Lincolnshire.
He told MailOnline: “I was very lucky I was in such a substantial car. I very nearly took my motorbike out that day.”
Mr Le Sage told how he remembered an “explosion and his car began to spin” after Mealing smashed into his Skoda.
He continued: “I just came around the corner and ‘bang’ it was right in front of me and she hit the front corner of my car.”
The dad-of-three was knocked unconscious and “came around to find the car was filled with smoke”.
Once free from his Skoda Kodiaq, Mr Le Sage then turned his attention to helping Mealing.
“I looked over and saw she had blood running down the left side of her face,” Mr Le Sage explained.
Mealing, who appeared under married name Sainsbury, has now pleaded guilty to drug driving and driving without due care and attention.
She was banned from driving for 22 months and ordered to pay a fine of £485.
The court heard the horror unfolded last January at around 10.14am after Mealing had taken cocaine the night before.
She was found to have 18mcg of cocaine in her blood, with the legal limit being 10mcg.
Mealing also had almost five times the legal limit of benzoylecgonine – the chemical that cocaine leaves after being metabolised by the body – in her system.
The actress, who left Casualty in March 2021 after seven years, suffered a cut to the head, a broken wrist and a broken clavicle.
Prosecutor Marie Stace said: “He started to panic, the car was full of smoke and he couldn’t get out because his foot was stuck under the pedal.
“He did get out and was assessed by a paramedic who said he needed to go to hospital.
“There was a witness following the Mini, who said he assumed there was something in the road because it went onto the other side of the carriageway.”
The court was told Mr Le Sage has been left unable to work as a theatre nurse after his motor skills were severely affected.
He also revealed he can no longer enjoy his hobbies as a keyboard player in local band Zebra and cannot play water polo any more.
Mr Le Sage, who is also a district councillor, still suffers flashbacks and has problems with his sight and hearing.
Mealing left Casualty in March 2021 after seven years on the popular BBC medical show.
The court was told she was suffering at the time of the crash due to the death of her father and her dog.
She was driving home from a friend’s home where she had taken cocaine when the crash took place.
Mealing has not been able to offer any explanation over why her car drifted across to the other side of the road.
Paramedics at the scene thought she was having a hypoglycemic attack as her blood glucose levels were alarmingly low, which could have been the cause of the accident.
Her lawyer Edward Lloyd said: “In terms of the offence, my client pleaded guilty to drug driving at the very first opportunity.
“It’s something she’s deeply ashamed of. She’s not somebody who takes drugs at all.
“Her brother died of a drugs overdose when he was 18 and she says herself that she should have known better.”
The court heard she is not currently working and is receiving a “token salary” of £935 a month from her employer.
Speaking after the hearing, Mr Le Sage said: “I’m glad it’s over for my family and I’m so lucky and grateful for their support over what has been a very difficult time.
“I hope the Sainsbury family can now also get on with their lives.”
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