Tragedy as trucker kills mother of two because he was fixing his sat-nav
A MOTHER-of-two was crushed to death by a Lithuanian-born lorry driver who smashed into the back of her stationary car at speed while fiddling with his sat-nav.
Edvard Musik, 46, was 13 hours into his shift when he ploughed into unsuspecting Angela Knight’s Ford Fiesta at 45mph causing her “catastrophic” brain injuries.
The former Russian army soldier had travelled from Europe and made several drop offs in England before he caused the multi-vehicle horror crash on the M606 motorway in West Yorkshire.
Bradford Crown Court heard Musik was driving a 35-tonne Mercedes-Benz Actros articulated lorry on the approach to an exit junction roundabout of the northbound carriageway when he careered into Mrs Knight’s car at 2pm on October 7 last year.
Mrs Knight, 47, who was directly in front of Musik’s lorry waiting in queuing traffic, suffered “catastrophic injuries to her skull and brain” and was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was a grossly avoidable distraction
Three other people were injured, including a 60-year-old car driver who was also left fighting for his life.
Jonathan Sharp, prosecuting, said: “A connection to his sat nav had become loose, and he was leaning across the cab in order to deal with it.
“He returned his attention to the road just before he was to collide with the Fiesta.
“As the defendant caught the rear of the Fiesta, the impact speed was between 41 and 45 mph.
“The Fiesta spun several times, and collided hard with the Renault Laguna in front of it. The Laguna, in turn, collided with a Morrisons’ lorry.”
Mrs Knight, of Lymm, Cheshire, was on her way to visit her daughters, Sophie, 19, who is a student at the University of Bradford. She was also due to remarry her partner in December.
Musik, who pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, had started his shift at 1am the day of the accident in Europe, travelled to Dover, made deliveries in Birmingham before travelling up to Bradford. The court heard he had taken his regulation number of breaks during the lengthy journey.
Musik, who appeared in court alongside an interpreter, wept as he was jailed for four years by the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Roger Thomas QC.
He had no previous convictions and had an unblemished driving record having been driving lorries for almost 30 years after leaving the Russian army in 1988.
Paul Walker, mitigating, told the court Musik had written a letter to Mrs Knight’s family to apologise for the “horrific accident” and had been in tears at the roadside.
Jailing Musik, Judge Thomas told him: “This was an utterly avoidable accident if you were paying any attention whatsoever. It was a grossly avoidable distraction.
“The consequences of that for Mrs Knight’s family and friends are truly terrible. Whatever sentence I pass will be of very little comfort to them.
“You lifted out of your seat and were fiddling with a sat nav in your vehicle.
“You hit the back of Mrs Knight’s car and you did so at a considerable speed, in these circumstances at over 40mph.
“Of course, as a HGV driver, you had a large responsibility of driving competently and carefully.
“Your remorse and regret is heartfelt and genuine.”
Musik, of Leicester, was also banned from driving for five years.
Speaking after the case Sgt Carole Greaves said: “This case is another tragic reminder of what can happen when a motorist takes their eyes off the road. It is vital that road users pay attention at all times as situations can change in a split-second.”
