Teen driver flipped BMW in Norwich A47 high speed crash

Luca Ciopaca, 18, was at the wheel of the high powered car when it hit the central reservation barriers and repeatedly flipped over. 

The crash on the Norwich southern bypass came after he clipped another car before spinning out of control, Norwich Magistrates’ Court was told. 

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Ciopaca, of Firtree Road in Norwich, who was aged 17 at the time of the crash on November 7 last year, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving. 

Luca Ciopaca pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at Norwich Magistrates' Court (Image: Newsquest)

Sarah Dawes, prosecuting, said the starting point was 18 months in prison. 

She said witnesses had described him driving the BMW past others at high speed on the eastbound side of the dual carriageway close to the A140 Ipswich Road junction, just south of Norwich.

The teen driver had then undertaken three or four vehicles travelling in lane two but had collided with the rear of another car, flipping over and hitting central barriers before sliding 300m down the road.

Miraculously no-one was seriously injured in the crash which was captured on dashcam by passing motorists, she added.

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Ralph Gillam, mitigating, said: “We conceded that this is an offence that exceeds the sentencing powers of the magistrates' court.

“He was only 17 at the time and has no previous convictions.” 

The A47 was closed for hours following the crash in November 2023 (Image: Newsquest) Magistrates ordered a pre-sentence report but warned Ciopaca he faces a probable jail term and that “this is outside our powers even if we allow for your guilty plea.”

He will be sentenced at Norwich Crown Court on November 4. 

The crash, which occurred at 2pm and closed the road between the A140 and A11 Thickthorn junctions, led to two miles of congestion and hour-long delays.