Britannia Bridge fatal crash driver given suspended sentence
- Published
Marc Winston Roberts, 52, died instantly following the crash near Britannia Bridge
A lorry driver who ploughed into a line of stationary cars, killing one driver and seriously injuring another, has been sentenced.
Ian Owen did not see a queue of vehicles stopped on the A55 approaching the Britannia Bridge, which connects Anglesey to the mainland, on 20 January 2022.
He admitted causing death by careless driving at a hearing in August.
On Wednesday, the 40-year-old was given a two-year suspended sentence.
Owen, from Gaerwen, Anglesey, was also disqualified from driving for two years and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Caernarfon Crown Court heard Owen's Volvo lorry collided with the car in front, pushing it into the back of a second car, which was then forced underneath the back of a lorry also waiting in the queue.
The driver of the first car, 52-year-old Marc Winston Roberts, from Anglesey, was killed instantly.
Mr Roberts' colleague at Ffestiniog Power Station in Gwynedd, Gareth Wyn Morris, was driving the second car. He was seriously hurt and has still not fully recovered from his injuries.
'Lives changed forever'
In the early hours of the morning on the day of the crash, Mr Roberts and Mr Morris were travelling back to the island in convoy after their shifts.
There were roadworks on the Britannia Bridge and they stopped at traffic lights on the Gwynedd side, waiting for their turn to cross.
The court was told that Mr Roberts' car was rotated 180 degrees by the impact of Owen's lorry and he died before he could be treated.
Mr Morris spent eleven days in hospital in an induced coma.
Ian Owen was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence and disqualified from driving for two years
In a statement read at the sentencing hearing, Mr Morris said his recovery was harder because he was at school with Owen and struggled to come to terms with his anger towards him.
He said he remembered nothing of what happened in the crash, adding: "I am still on a long road to recovery.
"The injuries to my face have recovered well, and I have been able to regain my smile.
"But I still have a large scar on my cheek and a daily mild headache which intensifies as I get tired.
"I get tired easily, which has stopped me from doing overtime and extra shifts, which has cut my income."
'We had no warning'
A statement from Mr Roberts' father, Gareth Winston Roberts, said their lives "were changed forever that night".
"We had no warning - no time to make special preparations or say goodbye."
He added: "Marc had just started a permanent post at the power station, and for the first time ever, he realised that he had potential.
"We were proud of his achievements, but this has sadly been cut short.
"The phrase that no parent should have to bury a child echoes periodically."
John Wyn Williams, defending Owen, said his client wanted to publicly apologise to both families for what he did, adding that his remorse was genuine.
Sentencing Owen, Judge Nicola Saffman said: "You simply did not see the stationary traffic, but you should have seen it and you should have reacted sooner.
"I am impressed by the dignity of Marc Winston Roberts' family, who do not seek vengeance, even in the face of losing a well-loved son."
Owen was also ordered to carry out 20 hours of rehabilitation and pay £420 in costs and a £150 victim surcharge.
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