Moment HGV driver on motorway realised he’d just killed beloved dad

'It beggars belief that while in charge of that multi-tonne vehicle you were looking at social media and scrolling X'

11:30, 20 Sep 2025Updated 11:33, 20 Sep 2025

Neil Platt killed a man with his lorry while distracted by online porn

A horrific motorway crash that claimed the life of a dad-of-two was caught on camera.

Video footage taken inside Neil Platt's lorry showed the HGV driver mindlessly scrolling on his mobile phone [1] before ramming at speed into Danny Aitchison's Hyundai Kona, killing him instantly.

Mr Aitchison had been stationary in his vehicle at the end of a queue near junction four of the M58 in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, on May 17 last year. Platt had been watching pornography on X (formerly Twitter [2]) when he failed to notice the dad's car ahead of him.

Video footage shows the moment Platt finally noticed the rapidly approaching traffic jam and attempted to brake. Tragically it was too late, and Mr Aitchison's car was trapped between his lorry and another HGV ahead of him.

View 3 ImagesNeil Platt at the wheel before the collision(Image: PA)

The collision took place just before 1pm after police had earlier put in place a rolling roadblock after reports of a woman pedestrian on the motorway.

Platt was travelling at 54mph, only breaking 35m ahead of Daniel's Hyundai and just 1.5 seconds before impact.

The 46-year-old's car was shunted into the rear of a tanker and his vehicle exploded into flames on impact.

Platt, of Daniel Close, Bootle, pleaded guilty to causing the death of Mr Aitchison. He appeared at Preston Crown Court on Friday, September 19, for sentence.

View 3 ImagesDanny Aitchison(Image: PA)

It was heard the 43-year-old had persistently viewed content on his phone during a three-hour journey from Dumfries, Scotland, along the M6 and then when he joined the westbound carriageway of the M58. Video footage showed him accessing Facebook, opening WhatsApp, and scrolling X shortly before the crash occurred.

In a statement, Mr Aitchison's 17-year-old daughter Ella said: "You didn't mean to kill my dad and all that died alongside him, but you must have known your actions could have killed someone.

"We have lost a beacon of light in our family, and no matter how much I try to be like him, I can't restore a void that should never have been left so soon."

Judge Ian Unsworth KC, reports The Echo,[4] told Platt his "arrogant and selfish attitude to driving was quite breath-taking." He said: "You willingly and without any excuse chose to ignore the laws of the road.

This was not a one-off glance on your phone... you were looking at such things as X, TikTok and YouTube.

"The collision that occurred could have happened anywhere along that journey. The blunt reality is you travelled well over 100 miles in what was sometimes a highly distracted state. In short, you were a multi-tonne accident waiting to happen."

View 3 ImagesNeil Platt(Image: Lancashire Police)

He said there was no evidence to suggest the defendant was searching for porn before the crash but said he had "prioritised looking at social media" over the welfare and safety of other road users.

He told him: "You were distracted by doing something so mind-blowingly stupid.

You were not paying attention to what was ahead but you were paying attention to your phone.

"It beggars belief that while in charge of that multi-tonne vehicle you were looking at social media and scrolling X in which some of the content was pornographic in nature."

Stephen McNally, defending, said "family-orientated" Platt, a dad himself, was "genuinely remorseful".

He said: "Even though the defendant's mobile phone was in a cradle and in front of him, this case provides an object lesson in demonstrating that even for the most experienced of drivers, not giving the road your undivided attention and concentration can have the most devastating consequences."

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He sentenced Platt to 10 years in prison. He was also disqualified from driving for 13 years and 8 months and will be subject to an extended driving test once passed.

Mr Aitchison's partner Kerry, mum to his children Ella, 17, and Jack, 10, told the court she was on the phone to him at the time of his death and assumed his battery had run out of charge.

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She said: "I feel angry he has lost his life in such a way. He was just coming home to me and the kids.

Their hero has gone."

His mum, Jeanette Aitchison, said: "Danny had a good relationship with every member of our family. He was a constant presence in their lives. He was the centre of our family, he was always there for his friends and colleagues, Danny would do anything for anyone.

The loss of Danny has had a significant impact on me and my family.

Quite simply, I feel devastated.

"The decision to drive while scrolling for a prolonged period of time on a mobile phone, let alone using a HGV, is utterly crazy."

References

^ Neil Platt's lorry showed the HGV driver mindlessly scrolling on his mobile phone (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
^ Twitter (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
^ here (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
^ reports The Echo, (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
^ HERE (chat.whatsapp.com)