Lorry Driver Jailed Over M6 Crash

A lorry driver from North Yorkshire has been sentenced to serve six years in jail after causing a motorway crash on the M6, during which two men were killed while changing a tyre on the hard shoulder. The 62-year-old, Malcolm Simpson was caught on CCTV drifting between lanes on the motorway before the September 2010 accident between junctions 17 and 18 near Sandbach. The Highways Agency camera footage was shown to the Chester Crown Court jury.

The two men who were killed were 39-year-old Philip Cawley and 69-year-old Thomas Southward. Simpson had hit the hard shoulder, swerved back to nearly the middle lane and then hit the hard shoulder again and the two men. Southward could be seen on camera being thrown into traffic and then getting hit by a second HGV. Both men’s injuries were so bad that they weren’t fully publicised out of respect for the families.

Simpson had fallen asleep at the wheel, as he was so tired from driving too long. However, he denied falling asleep and apologised to the families for their loss. However, he added that it was “just one of those things”. Inquiries revealed that he repeatedly exceeded driving time restrictions and didn’t take sufficient rest breaks required by law during the fortnight before the accident. At 54mph, readouts show that he would have had just three seconds to take avoiding action after hitting the hard shoulder and seeing the men.

The lorry driver behind Simpson said that he could see the events unfold like a scene from a horror film. He pressed his horn desperately in a bid to alert Simpson of the situation. A Territorial Army medic stopped at the scene and climbed up to Simpson’s cab. He said that the driver was saying that he was “shaking like a leaf” and that he thought he “might have hit him”.

Cheshire Police motorway inspector Liz Cunningham said that this was a tragic incident that left a hole in the lives of the two victims’ families. Although the sentence will bring some closure, the incident will stay with the families forever as they attempt to come to terms with such a terrible loss. The tragedy could have been avoided if Simpson paid the correct and necessary attention. He was a professional driver in a high-risk environment.

The victims’ families said in a joint statement that they were devastated when hearing that their loved ones were killed on the hard shoulder of the M6. They have found this 16-month inquiry distressing and difficult, and they thank everyone who helped at the time of the accident – including witnesses, the CPS, Cheshire Police, prosecuting barrister Simon Parry and their liaison officers, who supported them through the trying time.