Recently in death Category

Yesterday at Warwick Crown Court (Tuesday 2 March), 32-year old HGV driver Thomas Lakin from Redditch, Worcestershire was jailed for causing death by dangerous driving, after he was distracted by taking his sunglasses off to read a road sign.

On 20 March 2009, 46-year old Julie Blythe (a mother and grandmother) from Nuneaton was killed when Lakin's truck ploughed into the back of her car on the A46. He had braked 17m before, but it was too late to avoid the collision.

"You were momentarily distracted from your concentration when you took off your sunglasses. It was an avoidable distraction which created a risk of danger and which tragically cost Mrs Blythe's life," the judge said.

Lakin had pleaded guilty to the offence at an earlier hearing. He will serve 12 months in jail and 12 months on licence. He was given a three-year driving ban and ordered to take an extended driving test to regain his licence.

Life is so fickle and really can be taken away in an instance, and I think this case can only serve to reinforce how a concentration lapse lasting just a second, can cause a lifetime of pain.

Any thoughts on the incident, I want to hear...

Today (16 February) at Nottingham Crown Court, 75-year old John Leadenham of Walton Way, Harlaxton, Grantham was jailed for 33 months and disqualified from driving for five years, after he was found guilty of  causing two counts of death by dangerous driving.

The sentence comes after the 7 October 2008 incident, where Leadenham failed to stop and his 44t James Irlam HGV hit a queue of stationary traffic on the M1 near J24a.

Last month Leicester Crown Court heard the truck collided with a Peugeot containing Paul Tomlinson aged 66, and his 64-year-old wife Doreen from Glen Parva, pushing the vehicle under a Scania lorry in front. Both were killed.

It was also said that Leadenham may have fallen asleep at the wheel, or could have been thinking about his daughter who had recently lost a battle to cancer. Even today he still had no definate explanation for what happened.

The jury was told he was still driving at the age of 74 because his daughter was dying of cancer and he wanted to give her some of her inheritance while she was still alive.

"Those who drive HGVs owe a particular responsibility to other road users because of the nature of the vehicles they drive, and because the results of any error can be catastrophic, as they were in this case," says judge David Price.

Leadenham had however had an almost flawless driving record prior to the accident.

This incident for me evokes so many emotions. I feel utter sympathy for the deceased and the children and grandchildren they leave behind. It seems a momentary concentration lapse has resulted in a complete tragedy.

However I can't help but feel sadness at the thought of a 75-year old man trying desperately to earn money and equally, the thought of someone of his age being locked away with people who have committed intentional or evil crimes.

I don't know what you think, and there is no evidence to suggest Leadenham's age meant he was unfit to drive a truck, but I don't personally like the idea of say my grandad, having to work 24/7 in such a physically demanding job just to make ends meet.

I have no intention of sounding ageist, and mean no offence to those who wish to carry on working after the average retirement age, but I want to hear your thoughts on whether lorry driving is a suitable profession for those of all ages? Or any other thoughts on this particular case??

The HGV driver killed on the M5 last week, in a suspected hit-and-run collision was named by police today, as 47 year-old Paul Edwards of Crestline Court, Northampton .

Edwards stopped his truck at approximately 7am on Thursday 28 January, between J14 and J15 of the M5 southbound, in south Gloucestershire.

Edwards left his cab and was hit by up to three passing lorries. None of them stopped.

The driver of one of these vehicles has now contacted Avon and Somerset Police after hearing about the incident on the radio. He was interviewed but not charged.

The police say it is possible the other motorists might not be aware of what happened. Any witnesses to the incident are urged to come forward.

It was so sad to read an article in The Huffington Post that revealed 33-year old Julie Stratton died last month on the New York State Thruway near Buffalo, when her car was struck by a rig truck. It's always tragic to hear of a young mother having their life cut short, but the twist in this tale is that the truck driver had been watching a porn movie moments before the crash.

Ohio-based Thomas Wallace, aged 45, was held in Genesee County Jail. It is also understood he had exceeded his drivers' hours. As a result of the offences he has been charged with second-degree manslaughter.

While this case is particularly seedy, it's not the first time I've stumbled across incidents of motorists being distracted at the wheel:

• Last year a foreign HGV driver was caught watching a DVD on his laptop while driving.
• A driver was order to do community service after watching science-fiction series Battlestar Galactica on a laptop in his cab, while the lorry was in motion.

I know you hear stories of people using a phone while driving, but to watch a film requires attention, so it really is illogical to see how anybody could justify doing so while driving. Any thoughts I want to hear...

A trucker was killed this morning (Thursday 28 January) at around 7am after he was hit by a lorry and possibly two others, on the M5 in Gloucestershire, Avon and Somerset Police has reported.

The man had got out of his lorry cab on the hard shoulder southbound between J14 and J15, Falfield to Almondsbury. He was hit by a lorry in lane one, and then by two other vehicles. Police say nobody stopped, but say they may not have been aware of what had happened.

Police are treating the area as a crime scene and any witnesses or anybody who can help to identify the three lorries should  contact the police on 08454567000.

This is a truly sad incident, and I will endeavour to keep you posted when any more details are reported.