 The BMW landed on Yaverland Beach on the Isle of Wight |
A learner driver whose car sped over a sea wall, killing a two-year-old boy on the beach below, has told a court his foot slipped on to the accelerator. Paul Cambray, 45, of Ryde, Isle of Wight, was unsupervised when he tried to park the F-reg BMW at a beachside car park at Yaverland, on the island.
Maximillian Young, a toddler from Fulham, west London, died in the crash on 24 July last year.
Mr Cambray denies all charges including causing death by dangerous driving.
 |  It's hard to describe, your heart is in your mouth, you gasp, I just gripped the wheel, you are in shock, you can't believe what's happening |
Maximillian was at the beach with his parents, Antje and Charles Young. Mr Young suffered two broken ribs and a broken pelvis in the crash.
Mr Cambray, a carpenter, was with three friends, none of whom were qualified drivers or able to supervise him, when he attempted to park the car in a space facing the beach, Portsmouth Crown Court heard.
"I brought the car to a stop briefly, but the only thing I can describe is the sole of my shoe slipped," he told the court.
"The car just reared up, the front lifted and bounced, this is all in seconds, the next thing you are holding the wheel looking down on to the beach driving down the wall.
"It was like a crashing aeroplane. I think shock kicked in more than anything else, I just gripped the wheel as hard as I could."
He continued: "It's hard to describe, your heart is in your mouth, you gasp, I just gripped the wheel, you are in shock, you can't believe what's happening."
'Never forget'
He said he had tried to press the brake, but the car did not stop.
Maximillian suffered serious head, neck and spine injuries and died almost instantly in the crash, the court heard.
Mr Cambray denied continuing to press down on the accelerator once the car had landed on the beach, causing further injury to Mr Young, something the prosecution alleges.
Since the crash, Mr Cambray said he was under the care of mental health professionals and was taking tranquillisers for anxiety and sleeping problems.
"It's something I shall never forget," he said.
He denies charges of causing death by dangerous driving, dangerous driving and wounding.
The case continues.
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