A46 crash lorry driver jailed for 15 months
A lorry driver who ploughed into a line of traffic on the A46 near Stratford, causing life-threatening injuries to a number of people, after falling asleep at the wheel has been jailed.
Martin Gibson had pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to five charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving on the A46 northbound at Bishopton.
His Daf artic ploughed into the back of a line of three cars and a van on May 21 last year, cannoning one of the vehicles into the path of an oncoming motorcyclist who was also badly hurt.
Gibson (54) of Bathurst Road, Gloucester, was jailed for 15 months and banned from driving for three years and one month, after which he will have to take a re-test to get a licence.
He had entered his pleas on the basis that he could not recall the incident, and did not believe he was conscious at the time and must have suddenly fallen asleep at the wheel.
It was said he had been doing so when at home, and in fact has seen his GP back in 2011 because of potential sleep apnoea, and that he should therefore not have been driving
Accepting that, prosecutor Amy Jackson pointed out: “The dashboard camera footage shows the lorry going down the road and not changing pace or direction, and you can see the reflection of his hands on the wheel not moving.”
Miss Jackson said that at 8.20 in the morning there was queuing traffic on the A46 northbound approaching the Stratford park-and-ride roundabout, visible for more than 350 metres.
“Unfortunately the defendant did not see the end of the queue and, driving a large artic, went straight into the back of the queue, causing significant injury to a number of people.”
Miss Jackson said that at 8.20 in the morning there was queuing traffic on the A46 northbound approaching the Stratford park-and-ride roundabout, visible for more than 350 metres.
“Unfortunately the defendant did not see the end of the queue and, driving a large artic, went straight into the back of the queue, causing significant injury to a number of people.”
Raj Punia, defending, said: “He must have fallen asleep, that’s the only explanation. He would like to apologise to each of them face-to-face for the consequences of his driving.”
“To say he is remorseful doesn’t reflect how truly, truly sorry he is,” she told the judge, adding that Gibson’s wife works as a carer, and their home could be at risk if he was jailed.
But Judge Richard Griffith-Jones told Gibson: “I accept you will feel conscience-stricken and remorseful for what you did.
“But what you did was drive a heavy goods vehicle, a potentially lethal vehicle, at a time when you were susceptible to falling asleep - and you knew about that and you still drove.
“As a consequence you caused devastating injuries to at least five people.
“I sentence you with a heavy heart, because you are a decent man, but offences of this sort have to receive condign punishment.”
See Thursday's Herald for full story, including updates on the crash victims and their injuries.
