Lorry driver jailed after killing motorcyclist

Nigel Osler loved motorcycles and "took safety very seriously", his family said

A lorry driver has been jailed after he killed a motorcyclist by performing a "highly dangerous manoeuvre" at a crossroads.

Nigel Osler, from Derbyshire, was riding to work when he collided with Matthew Wright's lorry at a Nottinghamshire junction.

The lorry "wrongly" turned right at the A616 junction with the A60 in Mansfield on 12 July 2023, fatally injuring Mr Osler, who later died in hospital.

Wright, 45, was sentenced to nine years in prison at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday after previously admitting causing Mr Osler's death by dangerous driving.

Wright, of Leeson Avenue, Charnock Richard, in Lancashire, was also banned from driving for 11 years.

Matthew Wright caused a fatal collision by turning right despite being in the far-left lane

The court was told Mr Osler, 61, was also an HGV driver and had been riding to work in the early hours of 12 July when the crash happened.

As Wright travelled east along the A617, he moved into the far left of four lanes (lane one) before turning right at the crossroads – a manoeuvre that saw him cut across lanes two and three, which were for traffic going straight ahead.

The court heard only motorists in the far right lane (lane four) were permitted to turn right – and that the traffic light for motorists turning right was on red at the time Wright made his manoeuvre.

By cutting across lanes two and three to complete the illegal manoeuvre, Wright caused Mr Osler to crash into the front offside wheel of the lorry.

The court was told Mr Osler's family made the "heart-wrenching" decision to have his life support turned off that night - so his organs could be donated - after being told he would not survive.

'The punishment is ours'

In her victim impact statement, Mr Osler's wife, told the court: "I can still feel me cradling his broken head as we switched off his life support, telling him it was okay to let go."

Her husband was known as "Mr health and safety" in his own job as a HGV driver and took motorcycle safety "very seriously", she said.

She and her two children also spoke of the "devastating impact" of Mr Osler's death on their family, including his several grandchildren, describing him as a "kind, funny and caring" man.

"We are the victims, yet the punishment is ours", she added.

Judge Stuart Rafferty KC said the guilt of causing Mr Osler's death would remain with Wright "for the rest of his days", saying he had no previous convictions and was a man of "good character".

In a statement after the sentencing, Ms Osler's family said: "Trying to save a couple of minutes cost Nige his life, and we would urge anyone using the roads to consider the consequences of their actions. Is it really worth it?"