HGV driver jailed over fatal hard shoulder crash

Shane Davies' lorry struck a broken down HGV on the M4 hard shoulder between junctions 15 and 16

A lorry driver who failed to react in time to a broken down lorry has been jailed for two years for causing the death of a man on a hard shoulder.

Shane Davies, 59, from Swansea, drove into a stationary lorry on the M4 in the early hours of 16 March 2020.

A passenger in the broken down lorry, Craig Davies - no relation, was outside the vehicle when he was fatally hurt.

Shane Davies was also disqualified from driving for three years and will need to take an extended re-test.

Swindon Crown Court heard Shane Davies had been driving a Volvo articulated lorry westbound on the M4 between junctions 15 and 16 when he crashed into an Iveco Ford lorry on the hard shoulder.

Craig Davies, who was no relation to Shane Davies, had climbed out of the stationary lorry to check on a suspected tyre blowout when he was killed.

The court heard Shane Davies' lorry had moved 0.9 metres onto the hard shoulder, shunting the Ford lorry along the lane.

A forensic reconstruction established there would have been plenty of time for a driver to react to a potential hazard in the road.

Experts said the lack of reaction by Shane Davies was due to him becoming unconscious or incapacitated in some way, the court heard.

Ruth Sands, CPS Wessex senior crown prosecutor, said: "The manner of Shane Davies' driving resulted in the sad and untimely death of Craig Davies.

"This case should serve as a warning to anyone who takes the decision to drive whilst tired or otherwise unfit to drive safely.

"The risk is not worth taking and you will be prosecuted whenever our legal test is met."