A LORRY driver who ploughed into a Chester father, killing him instantly, has been jailed for three years.
Mold Crown Court has heard how 39-year-old Iwan Mair of Castleton, Rochdale, lost control of his articulated lorry late at night on the A55 last August, killing John Robert Croft, 51, of Hoole.
Mr Croft had been driving his employers' lorry through Penmaenmawr in North Wales when a tyre blew. He had pulled over and a tyre firm sent out a fitter in a breakdown truck.
Both men were parked on the side of a near-empty, well-lit road, with hazard lights showing on both vehicles, and emergency lights of the breakdown truck deliberately parked at the rear for safety purposes.
There was 300 yards forward visibility as Mair approached in his lorry. A vehicle ahead pulled out and safely overtook but Mair kept up a constant 48mph speed, did not brake or pull out, and crashed into both vehicles.
Mr Croft - a former soldier who in addition to being a trucker was the full-time carer for his severely disabled wife Susan - was killed instantly.
Tyre fitter Michael Bertram Jones, who works for Gwynedd Tyres in Caernarfon, escaped with his life.
Prosecuting barrister Andrew Thomas said Mr Jones was very fortunate: 'He was standing on the back of his truck when he saw the defendant's vehicle approaching. When he realised it was not going to stop, he leapt from the truck on to the verge. He describes the noise of the impact as being like an explosion,' he said.'
The breakdown truck was forced into the rear of Mr Croft's lorry, pushing the trailer unit across the road.
'Mr Croft was just to the off-side of his vehicle. He was struck head-on, was dragged under the wheels and suffered multiple injuries including a fractured skull. He died immediately,' Mr Thomas said.
Initially the defendant claimed he had been in the outside lane, saw a figure run into his path, and he swerved. But a highway authority CCTV film, played to the court, showed the lorry drive straight into the other vehicles on the inside lane.
'Whether through tiredness or inattention, the defendant was plainly paying no attention to the road,' Mr Thomas explained.
Mair admitted causing the death of Mr Croft, wept throughout most of the hearing, and was described as 'a broken man' who was full of remorse.
He was jailed for three years and banned from driving for five years. He must also take an extended driving test.
Judge Merfyn Hughes QC said that it was a prolonged and unexplained period of inattention which led to the collision and the death of Mr Croft.
'This court would wish to stress that whatever sentence is imposed upon you this afternoon, human life cannot be restored,' he said.
'This was not a case of momentary inattention. There was a prolonged period when avoiding action should have been taken.'
Defending barrister Andrew Ford said that his client had no explanation for the accident. His initial suggestion had been based on what he recalled after the trauma of the accident and the film did show Mr Croft in the roadway at one stage.
Mr Croft was brought up at Grant-own-on-Spey in Invernesshire and had served with the Cheshire Regiment for 21 years.
He started driving trucks while still in the army and between 1995 and 2004 he combined working as a HGV driver while acting as the main carer for his wife Susan. He had two daughters, Lisa and Sarah, and at the time was working for Edwin Farrell Transport of Ashton, Chester.
His family, including his wife in a wheelchair supported by a nurse, were in court to watch the proceedings. His daughters said as they left that they were satisfied with the outcome but they were still trying to come to terms with the tragedy.
