Telford lorry driver on trial over M25 death

The hearing will also be a test case for a jury to decide whether running out of petrol can amount to dangerous or careless driving in the eyes of the law.

The woman driver of a car which ran out of petrol is being blamed, along with Anthony Cheshire, a lorry driver from Telford, for what happened because the prosecution say she knew she was likely to run out of petrol on the motorway.

Prosecuting at Chelmsford Crown Court, Mark Halsey, told the jury: "The car was driving in a dangerous condition. It was foreseeable it would run out of petrol and would be stranded in the nearside lane and the consequences of her driving the car in that condition played a significant part in bringing about the fatal collision and causing the fatal collision."

He said the driver, Tammy Langton, had put others in danger by "obviously" driving the vehicle without enough petrol.

After Langton's Nissan Note was stranded in the nearside lane on an unlit stretch of the M25 near junction 27 in the early hours it was hit by an HGV pulling a fully laden trailer.

Rear seat passenger, Laura Cooper, 35, from Leicester was killed. Langton and another passenger were also injured.

The court was told that there was no hard shoulder or lights where the accident happened.

Telford lorry driver Anthony Cheshire, 63, of Reynards Coppice, Sutton Hill, and Langton, 32, of Melthorpe Gardens, Blackheath, south east London, both deny causing the death of Laura Cooper, 35 by dangerous or careless driving on March 29, 2016, just after the Easter weekend.

In addition, both deny causing serious injury to front seat passenger Yasmin Fry by dangerous driving.

Cheshire further denies causing serious injury by dangerous driving to Tammy Langton.

Langton has additionally pleaded not guilty to causing death by careless driving when she was unfit through drugs, or by having in her body an amount of cannabis which exceeded the specified limit.

Prosecutor Mark Halsey told Chelmsford Crown Court: "The car being driven by Tammy Langton ran out of petrol on the M25. We say she knew that was going to happen."

He said Langton carried on driving when the fuel warning light was on and she had said while still in Leicester to Yasmin Fry "there isn't enough petrol to get back to London".

Cheshire was 30 seconds behind Langton's Nissan Note at the wheel of his Scania R620 articulated lorry.

Three quarters of the car was protruding into lane one when the front nearside of the HGV struck the offside rear of the car, where Miss Cooper was sitting.

Its hazard warning lights were switched on by Langton when she stopped stranded.

The impact caused the Nissan to strike the crash barrier, bounce back and it was struck again by the middle of the passing trailer, the court heard.

After the crash, Cheshire said he had suddenly seen the Nissan in front of him.

Mr Halsey claimed Cheshire's driving dropped "far below" the expected standard of a competent driver.

The trial continues