Boston lorry driver jailed for causing fatal A52 crash

A lorry driver who caused a fatal crash, in which a charity worker was killed and her colleague left with life-changing injuries, was jailed for 16 months at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday.

Dorin-Silviu Buinea was driving along the A52 heading for his firm’s depot at Donington when he struck a lorry from behind as the other vehicle waited to turn right.

Buinea’s lorry then went into the path of a car driven by Dawn Crisp in which her work colleague Katie Ablewhite was a passenger. The women were on their way to Boston for work.

Jonathan Dunne, prosecuting, said that the lorry initially hit by Buinea’s vehicle was in the middle of the road waiting to turn right with its brake lights and indicator on.

He said Buinea had eight seconds to see the brake lights ahead of him and seven seconds to see the indicator, but continued into the back of the vehicle.

The front of Buinea’s lorry then crossed into the opposite carriageway giving Dawn Crisp no chance of avoiding a collision.

Following the collision Katie Ablewhite, 37, was taken to hospital but never regained consciousness and her life support machine was switched off on Christmas Eve. Her death was due to chest injuries and she also had minor brain injuries.

Dawn Crisp suffered life-changing injuries and underwent abdominal surgery as a result of which she now has an Ileostomy bag. One of her knees was shattered and she suffered fractures to her thigh and wrist. She spent seven weeks in intensive care and a year later is still seriously affected by her injuries.

Buinea, 33, of Holbeach Terrace, Haven Village, Boston, admitted a charge of causing death by careless driving as a result of the collision on the A52 at Bicker on December 14, 2018. In addition to being jailed he was banned from driving for two years and eight months.

Judge Steven Coupland, passing sentence, described the fatal collision as “utterly avoidable”.

He said: “There is no alternative to an immediate custodial sentence. Dawn Crisp had no chance of avoiding a collision.”

Neil Sands, in mitigation, said: “There are no words in the English language or any other language that can adequately communicate the degree of regret and remorse that Mr Buinea feels. He is deeply sorry for what has happened.

“The only way to describe what happened is that his eyes saw the brake lights and it took his brain seven seconds to process what he had seen.”

*No image of the defendant was available from Lincolnshire Police