Sleepy M6 trucker left driver with brain injury after Cheshire horror crash
The 28-year-old has been jailed
Trucker Michael Brook told cops he was 'definitely drifting off' before an M6 horror smash in Cheshire left a motorist with a life-changing brain injury. Now the 28-year-old has been jailed over the early morning motorway smash.
Brook was behind the wheel of a huge car transporter when he collided with the rear end of a stationary Ford Fusion. Cheshire Police have now issued footage of the moment the crash occurred, between junctions 18 and 19, and Brook telling cops at the scene how he knew he needed to stop as he was 'getting tired'.
The crown court in Chester heard how Brook was behind the wheel of a Volvo Car Transporter when he smashed into the back of the stationary Ford at around 3am on October 18 last year. The force says as a result the driver of the car sustained a 'permanent, life-changing brain injury'.
The scene of destruction on the M6
In bodyworn footage released by the constabulary an officer asks Brook what happened as the scene of devastation is captured on camera.
Brook, of Frogmore Avenue, Hyde, told him: "I'll be honest, I was heading up this way, getting to the point where I knew I needed to stop at Knutsford because I was getting tired. I could feel myself drifting off that's why I opened up the energy drink.
"And I suppose I just sort of drifted at the wrong time. I wouldn't have said I was fully asleep, but obviously, definitely, definitely drifting off."
The HGV driver went on to admit causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was subsequently handed a two-year jail term at Chester Crown Court.
The scene of destruction on the M6
The force has welcomed the sentence - and say Brook had a 'flippant' attitude to road safety. Inspector Bradley Hughes said: “When you get behind the wheel of a vehicle, you’re responsible for a machine easily capable of causing serious injury or even death.
“This case demonstrates the life-long repercussions of the dangers of driving whilst tired or unfit, and Brook's flippant attitude towards road safety has resulted in an innocent man sustaining life-changing injuries. I welcome the sentence handed to Brook and hope it serves as a stark warning to those who use our roads dangerously here in Cheshire. It also highlights the consequences of driving whilst tired or unfit.”
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