Inquest: Crash on A590 near M6 in Cumbria killed HGV driver
Malcolm Houghton, 68, of Southport, died on the morning of October 12, after crashing into the back of a stationary HGV in a layby on the A590 westbound after leaving Junction 36 near Kendal. The incident occurred at around 6.20am, and Mr Houghton, known as 'Mally' to his family and friends, was pronounced dead at the scene. Using eyewitness accounts from a fellow goods vehicle driver and car driver, police were able to compile a collision investigation report to piece together the events leading to the crash.
It concluded from physical evidence that around 100 metres from the slip road leading from the M6 to the A590 westbound, Mr Houghton's vehicle hit the central reservation barrier, before scraping alongside it for a further 75 metres. It then continued for a further 600 metres, 'drifting' left across the left-hand lane, and hitting the back of a Scania HGV whose driver was on a break in a layby, causing 'massive damage' to Mr Houghton's vehicle, and the Scania to jackknife. The report said there was no physical or eyewitness evidence to suggest Mr Houghton's vehicles brakes had been deployed at any point, and it is thought that his vehicle was travelling around 55mph at the point of impact.
An eyewitness said it 'didn't look like a conscious turn', and that he and another driver were 'flashing and using our horns' to alert Mr Houghton, but to no response. An attendant police officer said that they and bystanders who had rushed to the scene tried to check Mr Houghton's welfare, but due to the damage, he was trapped. Paramedics arrived, and declared Mr Houghton deceased at 6.56am.
The collision investigation report found that Mr Houghton had been a large goods vehicle licence holder for over 32 years, so ruled out inexperience as a possible cause. It confirmed that his mobile phone was not in use at the time, and found it 'unlikely' that fatigue was a factor, as he had been driving for only one hour and 15 minutes. The report also stated that as he was driving over rumble strips, would have felt the impact with the barrier, and other drivers were trying to alert him, 'some kind of reaction' would have been expected.
No mechanical fault were found, nor evidence of inappropriate driving from others, weather conditions were dry, and no toxicological findings were recorded. The report concluded that the most likely cause was that Mr Houghton suffered a 'medical episode or unknown event' at the wheel, rendering him incapable of controlling it. A statement submitted to Cockermouth Coroner's Court by one of his two sons, Michael, said that Mr Houghton was 'generally fit and well', but was on medication for high blood pressure and had experienced the occasional 'dizzy spell', for which he had been checked at the local hospital. He said he was a 'lovely gentleman and will be missed by many'. He said that he had retired as a HGV driver in 2021 but continued to work for two days a week, driving up to Scotland and back. Area coroner for Cumbria, Kirsty Gomersal, accepted the cause of death offered of head and neck injuries, and concluded that his death by road traffic collision would have been 'instantaneous'.