A van driver has been sentenced to four-and-a-half-years in prison for causing the deaths of three people in a “horrendous” crash in Wiltshire.
James Stark, 37, Steven Sheldon, 35, and Martin Williams, 36, all from south Wales, died when the van crashed into a lorry on the M4 in 2014.
Stephen Jenkins, 39, of Park View Terrace, Abercwmboi, was convicted after a trial at Swindon Crown Court.
He was also disqualified from driving for four years and three months.
Jenkins will have to take an extended re-test to get his driving licence back, the court was told.
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-36461082
To add to what the BBC News article says, the deceased men were passengers in a works van driven by Jenkins returning from a night shift working on the railway. The van collided with a car transporter that was stopped on the hard shoulder.
m.bathchronicle.co.uk/Stephen-Je … story.html
m.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/1287 … olleagues/
Doesn’t look like a car transporter to me, looks more like a flatbed loaded with either fairground or exhibition stuff.
It would be nice if news reports actually carried more detailed content on the circumstances. I should think fatigue played a big part in this. But I don’t know… 
el_presidente:
It would be nice if news reports actually carried more detailed content on the circumstances. I should think fatigue played a big part in this. But I don’t know…
The BBC reports says he fell asleep while driving.
I wonder if the HSE are investigation the company he worked for, to see what measures were in place to monitor working and driving hours.
In the past they’ve been heavy fines on companies who don’t take into consideration long drives after working a long shift, especially if the driving is done late at night or early mornings.
muckles:
el_presidente:
It would be nice if news reports actually carried more detailed content on the circumstances. I should think fatigue played a big part in this. But I don’t know…
The BBC reports says he fell asleep while driving.
I wonder if the HSE are investigation the company he worked for, to see what measures were in place to monitor working and driving hours.
In the past they’ve been heavy fines on companies who don’t take into consideration long drives after working a long shift, especially if the driving is done late at night or early mornings.
Figures… And yes, I should imagine HSE would be curious to know what risk management practices were put into place to alleviate this issue. I’ve been in that situation before where you just want to crack on and get home. My wake up call was when I fell asleep at the wheel. It’s not worth the risk.
el_presidente:
muckles:
el_presidente:
It would be nice if news reports actually carried more detailed content on the circumstances. I should think fatigue played a big part in this. But I don’t know…
The BBC reports says he fell asleep while driving.
I wonder if the HSE are investigation the company he worked for, to see what measures were in place to monitor working and driving hours.
In the past they’ve been heavy fines on companies who don’t take into consideration long drives after working a long shift, especially if the driving is done late at night or early mornings.
Figures… And yes, I should imagine HSE would be curious to know what risk management practices were put into place to alleviate this issue. I’ve been in that situation before where you just want to crack on and get home. My wake up call was when I fell asleep at the wheel. It’s not worth the risk.
Seen to much of it in the places I’ve worked in the last few year, some sort of macho attitude where you can work long hours and drive back to base, even worse drive a 9 seat minibus back to base, then they tell me how difficult it was to stay awake and then get upset when I’m not impressed.
Not so much of a problem with the trucks as they understand that tacho regs do apply to them, and the last place I was CPC holder so people working all day then getting in a truck didn’t happen, but did cause some stand up rows.
but non tacho vehicles is a different story. Been trying to hammer home to manages and owners that if the worst happens they’ll be liable, I think I’m getting there and slowly changing attitudes.
Things like this bring it home.