Footage shows moment lorry driver ploughs into queuing traffic

A 65-year-old lorry driver from Lincolnshire has been jailed after his vehicle smashed into queuing traffic on the A17 at Newark, leaving two people with serious injuries.

One woman was left with serious life-changing injuries, and another said she felt “lucky to have survived” after believing “she was going to die that day”, after the crash on the afternoon of June 8, 2018.

Nottinghamshire Police have released the dashcam footage after David Price, of Chapel Lane in Many was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

He was jailed for causing serious injury by dangerous driving after pleading guilty at Nottingham Crown Court on November 7. He was also handed a 29-month driving ban.

Price was driving at around 55mph as he approached the queuing traffic, but he failed to react in time and smashed into the back of the Clio at 49mph. This then caused the Clio to collide into the back of an Audi A1, which was launched forward into the back of a lorry.

Tests showed that Price applied emergency braking when he was approximately 15 metres away from the Clio. At 55mph it would have taken approximately 50 metres for the lorry to apply emergency braking and stop.

The female driver of the Clio – a Leeds University student who was travelling from Norwich to Leeds – suffered serious life-changing injuries, including a bleed on her brain, a broken back, neck, arm, ribs and nose.

As a result of her injuries she needed a number of operations and had to withdraw from university.

The driver of the Audi, who was travelling to Leeds to visit her daughter, also suffered significant injuries. The injuries resulted in her having time off work.

In a victim personal statement she said she “believed she was going to die that day” and felt “lucky to have survived”.

Inspector Heather Sutton, Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for the Newark and Sherwood area, said: “We have issued the dashcam footage, with the agreement of the victims, as a warning to drivers to pay attention when behind the wheel.

“Price’s dangerous driving caused catastrophic life-changing injuries within the space of a few seconds.

“It could all have been avoided if he had paid attention when behind the wheel. Now he has time to reflect on the consequences of his actions in prison.”

*There was no photograph of Price available from Nottinghamshire Police