Sutton Valence man jailed after two people died in crash on M26 near Wrotham
A driver has been jailed after his two passengers died when his flatbed truck hit a lorry on the M26.
David Boaler, 44, and 22-year-old Reece Watson were killed in the crash on October 15, 2020.
The aftermath of the crash in October 2020 for which Nigel Butler has been jailed for 27 months after admitting causing death by driving carelessly
Now Nigel Butler, 57, of Headcorn Road, Sutton Valence, near Maidstone[1], has been jailed for 27 months at Maidstone Crown Court after admitting causing their deaths by driving carelessly.
Prosecutor Daniel Stevenson told how on the evening before the tragedy Mr Butler had planned to travel to Brighton to collect a hot tub which would be installed in his garden.
“The collision occurred on the coastbound carriageway of the M26 motorway in Kent, between junction 2a at Wrotham and the junction with the M20,” he said.
“At the time of the collision, the motorway past junction 2a was subject to a lane closure and a temporary 50 mph speed limit.
“It seems that the defendant was en-route back to Kent, having collected the hot tub although he has no recollection of the collision.”
Reece Watson was one of the two victims in the fatal M26 crash
David Boaler died after the crash on the M26
The articulated lorry was being driven by 25-year-old Fabian Giolec who was heading towards Dover.
The prosecutor told the court: “Mr Giolec was travelling in lane one of the M26. He used his engine retarder to slow his lorry, which causes his brake lights to illuminate. He also applied his hazard lights.
“When he was about 100m from the queue of traffic, he felt a hard knock or bang at the back of his trailer.
“When he looked in his left mirror, he saw the defendant’s flatbed van drive sideways into the crash barrier.”
The emergency services were called but despite their efforts the two men died from their injuries.
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Butler was taken by air ambulance to King’s College Hospital in London where he was diagnosed with multiple injuries.
They included rib fractures, a fractured collarbone, lacerations to his hands, an open wound to his leg and fractures to some of the bones in his hand.
Defence lawyers served on the court an expert report from Dr Mark Jackson, a consultant respiratory physician.
His report diagnosed Mr Butler as suffering from “obstructive sleep apnoea”, a condition which occurs when the muscles at the back of the throat which support the soft palate relax, causing the airway to narrow or close.
The brain then senses the inability to breathe and briefly wakes the person so that the airway reopens.
But Mr Stevenson told the court that Butler had sought no help for this condition and did not report it to the driving authorities, despite an obligation on him to do so.
References
- ^ Maidstone (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ click here (www.kentonline.co.uk)