Jailed: Lorry driver smashed into stationary car leaving woman with life-changing injuries
Three cars were involved in the crash on the A458 near Bridgnorth.
A lorry driver involved in a "moment’s loss of attention" causing a crash which left a woman seriously injured has been jailed.
Glen Evans’ Mercedes truck ploughed into the rear of stationary vehicle waiting to turn right on the A458 near Bridgnorth, pushing it into the path of an oncoming car.
A video camera in the lorry’s cab recorded the moments before the impact and Evans could be heard listening to loud music on the radio.
The accident left car driver Adele Horton with life-changing injuries.
She had to be cut free from the wreckage, was flown to hospital by air ambulance, and was in intensive care for several days.
Her eight-month-old son, Arthur, who was strapped into a child seat, suffered minor injuries and the other car driver Tamir Rochelle was also hurt in the incident in October, 2016.
At Shrewsbury Crown Court 51-year-old Evans was jailed for 10 months having admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Judge Peter Barrie said that as a professional driver Evans should have been paying attention and realised there was a vehicle stopped in his path.
He said Evans’ initial account of there being problem with the brakes was dismissed by vehicle examiners and the defendant was involved a ‘loss of attention”.
Evans, of Princess Way, Stourport, a former soldier, was also disqualified from driving for three years.
The brief footage recorded from inside the Mercedes lorry cab was played to the court and showed the truck continuing at speed towards a pick-up truck stationary at the Mose crossroads and signalling to turn right towards Quatt.
Loud music was heard and the camera cut off just before the impact.
Mr Timothy Ashmole, prosecuting, said the collision caused the pick up truck to ‘cannon’ into the path of Miss Horton’s Toyota Kia, which was coming in the opposite direction.
He said there were warning signs on approach to the cross roads and there was ample opportunity for the defendant to see the pick up truck, but he failed to slow down.
There was no time for Miss Rochelle to react and her vehicle was struck with considerable force into the path of the Toyota vehicle.
Miss Horton suffered severe injuries, including a pelvis fractured in five places, a broken right leg, lacerations to her leg and stomach, a broken right elbow, and a deep cut. She needed two major operations following the crash.
Mr Ashmole said the young child was taken to safety and he had minor injuries to his face and back. Miss Rochelle also sustained injuries.
He said tests were carried out on the lorry’s brakes but no faults were found and Evans was not using his mobile phone.
Evans said that he was not distracted by the high volume of the music from the radio.
The court heard the lorry had a 50mph speed limiter and that Evans had braked 25 metres from the car taking the impact speed to 37mph.
The court heard Evans had a previous conviction for dangerous driving and convictions for excess alcohol and two offences of driving while disqualified between 1999 and 2008.
Mr Peter Arnold, for Evans, said his client had now faced up to the fact he was to blame for the crash and that Miss Horton’s injuries were his fault.
He said his client had failed to pay proper attention to the road for ‘a matter of seconds’.
Mr Arnold said that Evans had been a professional soldier for eight years serving in Iraq and Afghanistan with distinction.
