Trucker who wrecked schoolgirl’s life in hard shoulder crash jailed for just two-and-a-half years

A trucker has been jailed for just two-and-a-half years over a motorway crash which left a girl of eight with devastating injuries. She was left unable to "think, talk or walk" and will need lifetime care, police said, after his lorry ploughed into her family's car on the hard shoulder of the M42[1] at 55mph. Her parents and five-year-old brother were also injured after Dominic Nicholls allowed his 40-tonne lorry to veer off the carriageway and smash into their Nissan X-Trail.

The car had pulled over seconds earlier to investigate a light that illuminated on the dashboard as they drove home to Stafford[2] after flying into Heathrow from a family holiday in Sri Lanka. The schoolgirl, the most seriously injured, had her life saved at Birmingham Children's Hospital[3] but will use a wheelchair for the rest of her life alongside her other conditions. There was no sign that Nicholls, aged 53 and from Ipswich, tried to brake or avoid the car and he had never explained what happened, Warwickshire[4] Police said.

The crash happened between junctions 8 and 9, for Kingsbury, near Tamworth[6], just before midnight, on April 28, last year. He was jailed for 30 months for causing serious injury by dangerous driving, banned from driving for seven years and ordered to pay a GBP190 victim surcharge at Warwick Crown Court on October 19. No picture of him was available from the force.

Pc Craig Pearson, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Warwickshire Police said: "This is a very sad and tragic case.

Nicholls has never provided an explanation for why he allowed his HGV to travel directly onto the hard shoulder towards the family's car. The overall responsibility for the speed and control of the vehicle must lie entirely within the hands of its driver - Nicholls. "Dashcam footage from the HGV shows Nicholls makes no attempt to brake or take avoiding action prior to the collision.

The standard of driving falls far below that expected of a careful and competent driver.

We hope this sentence brings some comfort to the family whose lives have been devastated by what happened that day."

Stay up to date with the very latest from your Birmingham or West Midlands street or neighbourhood with our Birmingham News[7] Email Updates.[8]

References

1. ^ M42 (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
2. ^ Stafford (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
3. ^ Birmingham Children's Hospital (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
4. ^ Warwickshire (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
5. ^ Fireworks fury as resident says sarcastic 'thanks' for letting off explosions in the middle of the night (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
6. ^ Tamworth (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
7. ^ Birmingham News (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
8. ^ Email Updates. (www.birminghammail.co.uk)