Sneezing lorry driver caused serious crash in Newark

The crash happened on the A1 in Newark in 2018

A lorry driver had a "sneezing fit" before causing a crash that left a man blind in one eye, a court has heard.

Colin Shaw, 70, told police he began to sneeze, then heard a bang as he hit the back of a van on the A1 in Newark, Nottinghamshire.

The van's driver, Steven Hurst, also suffers from memory loss after the crash in 2018, police said.

On Tuesday, Shaw was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for 15 months.

At Nottingham Crown Court, he admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was banned from driving for two years.

Shaw, of The Drive in Bingley, Bradford, was also ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work, abide by a curfew for six months and take an extended re-test.

Reacted too late

Nottinghamshire Police said Shaw was driving the HGV on cruise control at about 08:50 BST on 10 May when he hit Mr Hurst's Citroen van at 56mph (90km/h).

During a police interview, Shaw said he reacted too late after having the sneezing fit.

He accepted the traffic was visible for up to half a mile, and that he should have applied his brakes.

The force said that as a result of the crash, Mr Hurst, from Ordsall in Nottinghamshire, was left with a fractured skull and a brain injury.

'Catastrophic consequences'

After the sentencing, the 45-year-old's family said the crash "changed our lives".

They said: "We urge everyone to remain focused whilst they are driving, especially when driving vehicles of this size as any lack of concentration for any length of time can cause catastrophic consequences and change a family's life forever as we have sadly come to know over the last three years."

Case investigator Sophie Law said: "Shaw could see traffic up ahead of him but failed to read the road correctly.

"This had devastating consequences for the van driver he ploughed into."