Truck driver who hit M5 gantry banned for one year

A driver who crashed his tipper truck into motorway gantry has been banned from driving for one year.

Anthony Baker, 48, failed to lower the bed of his truck after delivering building materials to a site at Cribbs Causeway, in Bristol, before hitting the gantry on the M5 on 2 March 2023.

The back of the vehicle hit the gantry with such force it tore the bed from the main body leaving it wedged vertically, closing the road for about 14 hours.

A judge at Bristol Crown court told Baker that the consequences could have been "catastrophic".

Baker, of Garnett Place, Downend, was found guilty of dangerous driving in June 2024.

On Friday he was given a community order of two years and must also complete 120 hours unpaid work.

His Honour Judge Lambert told Baker: "I cannot tell how you came to miss the obvious hazard but the risk of the vehicle was an obvious one.

"I'm surprised there’s no requirement for a warning, although your employers have now fitted warning systems.

"The responsibility was yours. You missed it. The consequences could have been catastrophic.

"But you are far from the people I normally deal with in these courts."

Baker's defence lawyer told the court he did not check the rear as he left or while driving.

'A decent man'

They said Baker "struggles with feelings of shame" and accepted careless driving.

They said: "He's a hardworking man. He's been overwhelmed by processes, and it's hard to convey the impact this has had on him."

They added Baker is "utterly ashamed and is a decent man".

Nobody was hurt during the incident, and Baker pulled over on the hard shoulder around 100m down the southbound carriageway between J17 for Cribbs Causeway and J18 for Avonmouth.

After the crash, officers attended the scene and carried out a breathalyser and drugs test on Baker, but both returned negative results, Bristol Crown Court heard in June.

The incident closed the motorway for about 14 hours