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A driver who ploughed into a pedestrian catapulting him 30ft into the air has admitted dangerous driving after the horrific collision was captured on camera.
Adam McDermott, 33, careered round a corner and smashed into father-of-three Andy Payne in a Fiat 500 before speeding off.
CCTV footage showed Mr Payne, 53, being flipped into the air like a rag doll before he landed in a crumpled heap in front of horrified witnesses.
Mr Payne miraculously survived the crash though he suffered memory loss from a head injury and spent five nights in hospital.
The clip of the collision went viral on the internet when it was released by police, and was viewed by hundreds of thousands of people.
McDermott appeared in Lewes Crown Court in Lewes, East Sussex, today where he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He also admitted one count of perverting the course of justice after buying lighter fluid and setting fire to the vehicle.
McDermott denied a second charge of perverting the course of justice by trying to make an insurance claim on the car claiming it had been stolen.
His fiancee Robyn Burns, 30, who was the registered owner of the Fiat 500, pleaded guilty to the same charge.
The hit and run happened on the corner of a busy road in Kemptown, Brighton on January 14, 2016 .
Mr Payne, a former Parker Pens manager, was crossing the road close to the Boozy Cow off-licence.
As he stepped out the Fiat 500 smashed into him before he could get out of the way.
He was treated by paramedics at the scene before being rushed to hospital.
My Payne suffers from memory loss and has retrained as a meter reader for a utility company.
McDermott, a builder of Brighton, and Burns, also from Brighton, will both be sentenced on November 17 alongside unemployed Clark Walker, 32, of Brighton, who pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice at an earlier hearing.
After the hearing, Sussex Police Sgt Dan Pitcher said: “We have worked extremely hard as a team to bring these three to justice for the Payne family.
"How Andy is still alive and has no major long lasting physical damage is a miracle.
“McDermott’s actions that day were awful, he drove without regard for anyone’s life and when he did hit Mr Payne he didn’t even stop.
"He would have known how hard he hit him and he didn’t even break. For all he knew Mr Payne was dead.
"Thankfully this investigation has not been into Mr Payne’s death; this only comes down to luck.
“Burns and Walker conspired with McDermott to cover up his actions and claim the car had been stolen.
"Burns has already been charged and sentenced for insurance fraud for the car, having been given 80 hours community service. She now faces a much more severe punishment for perverting the course of justice."