Photo by Julian Hochgesang on Unsplash (illustrative image)

HGV driver jailed for 12 years after killing 3 in accident caused while watching video

The driver of an HGV has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for needlessly causing an accident on the A303 that tragically killed three people. The three persons who died were a motorist who had stopped at the side of the road due to a mechanical failure, and two truck drivers who had stopped to help.

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Last month, Polish-named Michal Kopaniarz, a Telford resident of 39 years, pleaded guilty to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of perverting the course of justice.

As explained by the Crown Prosecution Service, the collision happened on the westbound carriageway of the A303 at Picket Twenty, Andover, in the early morning of 25 August 2021.

“Alexandra Britton, aged 28, was the driver of a Vauxhall Astra that had broken down on the inside lane when Tina Ince, aged 58, stopped her food delivery truck to see if she could help. Thomas Watson, aged 30, was driving a flat bed recovery vehicle on his way to another job, when he also stopped to try and help move Alexandra’s car from the carriageway,” writes the Crown Prosecution Service.

Kopaniarz caused the fatal accident by failing to see the three stationary vehicles ahead of him on the carriageway. This was a result of the 39-year-old watching a Facebook video on his phone. He ploughed his heavy goods vehicle into the aforementioned victims, who were all instantly killed.

During the investigation, police found dashcam footage that showed Kopaniarz breaking his mobile phone in half shortly after the collision had occurred and then discarding the two parts into the verge along with the SIM card.

Having retrieved the broken parts, and crucially, the SIM card, the police were able to rebuild it and recover enough evidence to prove that Kopaniarz had been watching a LADbible video on Facebook at the time of the collision.

Commenting on the case, Lucy Linington, CPS Wessex Senior Crown Prosecutor, said:

“Not only did Michal Kopaniarz cause the deaths of Alexandra, Tina and Thomas, by driving dangerously, but he also tried to minimise his culpability by attempting to destroy evidence that would implicate him. He obviously sought to pervert the course of justice when he broke his phone in half and later he lied to police in interview about being on his phone.”

Linington continued:

“It is astounding that he had the presence of mind to find the phone in his cab and destroy it having just caused the death of three people in what can only be described as horrifying circumstances, and circumstances that were entirely avoidable. Our thoughts remain with the victims’ families today, who have all suffered such a dreadful loss of their loved ones. We hope that today’s outcome will at least provide a small comfort that justice has been delivered.”


Photo by Julian Hochgesang on Unsplash (illustrative image)