Lincolnshire Police: Watchdog clears officers over lorry driver's death

Jaroslaw Kawala was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving after his lorry left the A1 in Lincolnshire last December

Officers acted appropriately during the arrest and detention of a man who died after collapsing in custody, the police watchdog has found.

Jaroslaw Kawala, 51, was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving after his lorry left the A1 in Colsterworth, Lincolnshire, last December.

He collapsed at Grantham police station and died later in hospital.

A post-mortem examination found Mr Kawala died from an abdominal haemorrhage and alcohol intoxication.

Lincolnshire Police made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The IOPC said that officers observed only minimal damage to the HGV at the time of the crash, the airbags had not deployed, and Mr Kawala had no visible injuries, adding that officers "correctly exercised" their powers to arrest him.

It said: "Sadly, Mr Kawala had a medical episode shortly after arrival at custody. We found officers responded promptly to call an ambulance, provide first aid and request a healthcare professional, in line with their training and guidance for medical emergencies.

"Mr Kawala is believed to have sustained the abdominal injury as a result of his stomach impacting the steering wheel during the collision, prior to the arrival of police officers.

"Our investigation found that officers could not have known Mr Kawala had suffered an intra-abdominal bleed in the accident, as this would have only become apparent from specialist medical testing and expertise."

Mr Kawala collapsed at Grantham police station and died later in hospital

An inquest that concluded on Friday found Mr Kawala died as a result of a road traffic accident.

IOPC regional director Derrick Campbell said: "I would again express my condolences to Mr Kawala's family at this difficult time.

"At the end of our investigation in June this year, we found no evidence that police had contributed in any way to Mr Kawala's death.

"We found that officers had acted in accordance with policy and procedures both at the accident scene and during his brief detention."