Five Years for Texting Trucker

A lorry driver who was either reading or writing a text on his phone when he caused a horrific motorway pile-up on the M62 near Bradford in which a married couple died has been jailed for five years.

Mark McHale, 46, and his wife Tamsie, 43, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, were killed on the M62 as they headed to Manchester Airport to fly to Cuba to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

Leeds Crown Court heard yesterday (28/8/13) how HGV driver Ethen Roberts had sent and received dozens of text messages while he was driving.

On the day of the tragedy, Roberts, 44, moved his truck into the middle lane to overtake another vehicle in an area near the junction with the M606 at Chain Bar, which was limited to 50mph because of narrow lanes and roadworks.

As the road ahead started to rise his HGV, with a 19 ton load, slowed and cars on the inside began catching up with him, one of which was driven by Mr McHale.

The court heard that the lorry was seen to veer into the McHales’ car, pushing it in front of his lorry before it was then propelled into the third lane, facing the wrong way.

The lorry swerved to the right, then the left, before it jack-knifed and fell on top of the McHales’ Audi, killing the couple inside.

Roberts, of Ings Lane, Immingham admitted two charges of causing the deaths of Mr and Mrs McHale by dangerous driving on July 25 last year.

He was jailed for five years and three months and disqualified from driving for five years.
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It’s important that we reflect on the facts. He wasn’t jailed for 5yrs for texting, he was jailed for 5yrs for causing the deaths of 2 people.

If it was just for texting, then instead of a £100 fine, I’d happily give 'em 5yrs instead.

Personally, I’d give him 5yrs for every text & 50yrs for each life. To be served consecutively.

Chas:
It’s important that we reflect on the facts. He wasn’t jailed for 5yrs for texting, he was jailed for 5yrs for causing the deaths of 2 people.

If it was just for texting, then instead of a £100 fine, I’d happily give 'em 5yrs instead.

Personally, I’d give him 5yrs for every text & 50yrs for each life. To be served consecutively.

+1

Just shows how quick your average day at work can change in the blink of an eye.

Definitely 5 yrs not long enough.

OllieNotts:
Just shows how quick your average day at work can change in the blink of an eye.

…and indeed your life!

I see hundreds of people a week texting while driving,the sooner they start handing out 12 month bans for texting the better !

One of the cruellest lessons you learn while working on vehicle recovery, you can be the bestest, safest & most careful driver in the world, it does not stop you being involved in someone else’s incident.

Deleted because I was talking out of my arse.

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I had seen the report of this terrible fatal accident on the internet and thought it might have been Stoneywood doing the recovery and by sheer coincidence I had gone down into town to pay my Council Tax and saw the flashing orange light’s in the distance. It wasn’t until the IVECO tow truck got close that I realised it was the Mercedes pulling a blue container that gone over on the M62 West Bound.

I hadn’t gone out of my way to catch these pics but just for once I had time to get my camera out of my bag and grab a few quick shots.

Regards
Dave Penn;

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There is no evidence he was texting at the time of the accident. The press have made a meal of it as usual.
For all we know the texting was done 30 minutes before the crash.
The car driver drove up the inside into his blind spot. That should carry points and a fine.

limeyphil:
There is no evidence he was texting at the time of the accident. The press have made a meal of it as usual.
For all we know the texting was done 30 minutes before the crash.
The car driver drove up the inside into his blind spot. That should carry points and a fine.

There’s always one . :unamused: :unamused:

If there was no evidence he was texting, he would not have pleaded guilty so easily, and might have got off with 2 years suspended for involuntary manslaughter, or causing death by careless driving.

I never understood why judges are saying things like “being limited to 6 years max for this offence” (causing death by dangerous rather than careless driving) and then proceed to give out a sentence less than the maximum for ONE life, let alone two! Why the reluctance to give out “consecutive” sentences?

I’d have dished out 12 years for this one, maybe reduced to 10 for the guilty plea. :angry:

limeyphil:
There is no evidence he was texting at the time of the accident. The press have made a meal of it as usual.
For all we know the texting was done 30 minutes before the crash.
The car driver drove up the inside into his blind spot. That should carry points and a fine.

Good idea, then the dead driver could have been fined and had points applied.

You talk some tripe. Sometimes, just sometimes truck drivers deserve what they get. The way you go on no truck driver is ever at fault. Texting or not, his actions killed two people, and that’s what he was jailed for.

limeyphil:
There is no evidence he was texting at the time of the accident. The press have made a meal of it as usual.
For all we know the texting was done 30 minutes before the crash.
The car driver drove up the inside into his blind spot. That should carry points and a fine.

Can you point us to the transcript of the trial or do you have a source of other information?

If there’s no evidence that he was texting at the time of the crash then there has been a terrible miscarriage of justice & we must raise funds for a defence fund this instant.

Do you know how a mobile phone works?

limeyphil:
There is no evidence he was texting at the time of the accident. The press have made a meal of it as usual.
For all we know the texting was done 30 minutes before the crash.
The car driver drove up the inside into his blind spot. That should carry points and a fine.

Are you a troll or just incredibly stupid?

thisisgrimsby.co.uk/Lorry-dr … z2dOj23dc5

"Roberts tried to blame Mr McHale (deceased car driver) for the crash and examination of his phone showed no messages at the time concerned — but checks revealed a text had been deleted.
Further records showed that Roberts had received 58 text messages from good friend Helen Chapman over the last three days — all while tachograph records showed he was driving. The last one had arrived about one minute 16 seconds before the collision. He had sent 48 messages to her in return.
He accepts on occasions he did make and send text messages.

5 years isn’t long enough. Scum.

RoadsRat:
Are you a troll or just incredibly stupid?

thisisgrimsby.co.uk/Lorry-dr … z2dOj23dc5

"Roberts tried to blame Mr McHale (deceased car driver) for the crash and examination of his phone showed no messages at the time concerned — but checks revealed a text had been deleted.
Further records showed that Roberts had received 58 text messages from good friend Helen Chapman over the last three days — all while tachograph records showed he was driving. The last one had arrived about one minute 16 seconds before the collision. He had sent 48 messages to her in return.
He accepts on occasions he did make and send text messages.

5 years isn’t long enough. Scum.

It’s both a troll & also incredibly stupid.

I’m beginning to wonder if his “good friend” Helen Chapman will be visiting him in prison. If she was aware that he was driving whilst sexting, then she might also deserve a slap on the wrist herself.

Good riddance. If there’s any good to come from that, and a lousy 5 years is hardly justice to the families concerned than at least there’s one less careless ,inconsiderate driver in our profession.

limeyphil:
There is no evidence he was texting at the time of the accident. The press have made a meal of it as usual.
For all we know the texting was done 30 minutes before the crash.
The car driver drove up the inside into his blind spot. That should carry points and a fine.

Firstly I can’t stand it when vehicles undertake as it’s dangerous and annoying but as a hgv driver he should have expected that to happen, you sit in lane 2 loaded and hit a hill it’s gonna happen!

Secondly they can find out exactly when texts were received or sent, it’s not rocket science.

Thirdly you have complete and utter [zb] for brains, learn to read and pipe down.

limeyphil:
There is no evidence he was texting at the time of the accident. The press have made a meal of it as usual.
For all we know the texting was done 30 minutes before the crash.
The car driver drove up the inside into his blind spot. That should carry points and a fine.

You really are the crassest most stupid person on the internet.
How about reading the report before posting, just a thought.