HGV driver killed in crash may have fallen asleep
HIS LORRY DROVE INTO QUEUING TRAFFIC, INQUEST IS TOLD
A TIRED lorry driver died in a crash, possibly caused by him falling asleep at the wheel, an inquest heard.
Arron Middleton, 31, was nearing the end of his shift driving a DHL lorry when he drove into the back of stationary traffic on the A50 in Derbyshire.
At the time of the incident, Mr Middleton was on his way back to the depot at East Midlands Airport when he drove his vehicle into the back of a queue.
Mr Middleton died at the scene of the collision, near Chellaston, which happened on January 12 tat around 7pm.
Peter Nieto, area coroner for Derby and Derbyshire, held the inquest at Derby Coroner’s Court on Friday.
East Midlands Ambulance Service arrived on the scene of the collision at 7.31pm. A statement to the coroner from the service said: “An ambulance arrived on the scene at the same time as a paramedic. Police and fire service, and an offduty doctor, were also on the scene.
“At the point of arrival, Arron was said to be alert, but trapped by his legs in the driver’s seat of his lorry. He had crush injuries to his legs and his pelvis. He had collided into stationary traffic on the A50.”
The statement by EMAS went on to say how there was difficulty in removing Mr Middleton from his vehicle as he had been trapped inside the cab, which was almost entirely compressed.
As the cab of the lorry was moved backwards to remove Mr Middleton, he immediately lost consciousness and no pulse was found when he was placed on a trolley.
Attempts were made to resuscitate Mr Middleton, from Eastwood, Nottingham, but were unsuccessful.
Pathologist Dr Terrance Jones conducted a post-mortem examination on Mr Middleton on January 20. He found extensive injuries to his lower legs and pelvis as a result of the crash. He did not find any drugs or alcohol in the driver’s system, nor any presence of natural diseases.
Dr Jones gave a cause of death for Mr Middleton as lower limb and pelvic injury due to a road traffic collision.
Christopher Moylan, the driver of another large goods vehicle involved in the collision, gave his perspective on the crash. He said: “In the distance, around 800 yards away, I could see that both lanes had come to standstill traffic.
“I could see in the distance there were other vehicles with their hazards on. I started to slow down and when I was between 300 and 400 yards away, I put my hazard lights on.
“I can remember slowing down with my foot brake so I came to a standstill behind a white BMW.
Because it happened so quickly, I can’t remember whether I was still on the foot brake or used the handbrake.
“After about three seconds of being stationary I felt a shunt forwards. The force had come from behind and shunted my vehicle forwards, causing my vehicle to hit the white BMW.”
A number of other vehicles were shunted forward by the impact from Mr Middleton’s vehicle.
The inquest was told that a few minutes before the collision, Mr Middleton was known to have pulled into a lay-by, but the reason for this is unknown.
The coroner read out a report from collision investigator PC Gary Wilson, who said that while it could not be known whether Mr Middleton’s mind wandered or if he was distracted during the drive, it is suspected that due to being near the end of his shift, he may have been suffering from driver fatigue.
PC Wilson wrote: “The overall circumstances of the collision are such that it could be considered that the collision was fatiguerelated and Mr Middleton may have entered a state of micro-sleep prior to the collision when he drove along the A50.”
The coroner concluded that Mr Middleton died as a result of the injuries he sustained from the crash. He added that it was likely Mr Middleton did not see the stationary traffic due to his fatigue.