‘I’D TAKE PLACE OF THE MAN I KILLED IN M1 CRASH’
DRIVER WHO CAUSED CRASH WRACKED WITH REMORSE
A LORRY driver says he “wanted to be in the place” of a man he hit and killed on the hard shoulder of the M1.
George Caboc, 52, veered on to the hard shoulder near Junction 20, as he headed from a pick-up in Leicester, at 7.04am on October 4 last year.
He failed to see the BMW belonging to Edson Makwebo, who had got out, for an unexplained reason, to make a phone call.
Mr Makwebo, 45, was crouching down leaning into the vehicle when he was fatally struck by the lorry.
Mr Makwebo was described as “a great father”, and “dedicated Christian” who was “helpful and loved people”.
Caboc, formerly of London Road, Romford, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
Jonathan Dunne, mitigating, said: “He says ‘I died then. I wanted to be in his place, I’m not me any more’.
“He’s genuinely remorseful. “These two good men were brought together for a split second, with tragic consequences.”
Caboc was jailed for 18 months and banned from driving for 27 months.
A LORRY driver who spent much of his wages helping the poor has been wracked with remorse since hitting and killing a businessman who was making a phone call on the hard shoulder of the M1.
George Caboc, 52, lost concentration at the wheel of a Mercedes axle unit trailer shortly after picking up a load from Leicester, on October 4 last year.
Footage from his dashcam showed his lorry veering several times on to the hard shoulder before he failed to see Edson Makwebo’s BMW – with hazard warning lights flashing – on the southbound carriageway shortly after the Junction 20 exit, at 7.04am.
Henry James, prosecuting, told Leicester Crown Court: “If Mr Caboc was feeling tired, he could have exited at that point.
“He must have become fatigued. Whether or not it was caused by differing sleep patterns, he was weaving from side to side.”
Mr Makwebo, 45, director of an investments firm, who had family links with Leicester, had for an unknown reason stopped on the hard shoulder to make a phone call and was crouching down leaning into the vehicle when he was fatally struck by the lorry.
His passenger survived.
The victim was a father of three children from his first marriage, with two adopted daughters and a stepson from his second.
Moving statements from his family and loved ones were read out by the prosecutor, revealing the full extent of their loss.
His grief-stricken mother travelled from her home in Zambia to attend the funeral, the court was told.
Mr Makwebo was described as “a great father”, a “dedicated Christian” who was “helpful and loved people.”
His wife, Patricia, said every day since his death was a struggle and that they had been planning their future together in West Africa.
Caboc, a Romanian national, who lived in the UK, formerly in
London Road, Romford, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
Judge Timothy Spencer QC said: “This is a tragic case.
“At the point of impact you encroached on to the hard shoulder by approximately one metre from the nearside of your vehicle.
“Your speed never exceeded 52mph.
“This vehicle was visible to anyone paying attention and the only explanation is that you were not. It wasn’t a momentary loss of attention.
“You must have gone over the rumble strip that, had you paid proper attention, would have alerted you to the fact something was wrong with your driving.”
The lorry struck Mr Makwebo and his partially open car door. Judge Spencer said: “He died instantly, which is the only mercy. Jonathan Dunne, mitigating, said: “He’s been a professional lorry driver for over 30 years, driving 50,000 to 60,000 miles a year without any blemish on his driving record. “The defendant can’t say what caused this. He doesn’t believe he was tired and had rested before setting off from Leicester. “Looking back, he thinks he was unwell.
“He immediately went to help at the scene and called the emergency services, later describing the collision as “terrifying”. Mr Dunne said: “He says ‘I died then. I wanted to be in his place, I’m not me any more’.”
“He’s genuinely remorseful. “These two good men were brought together for a split second, with tragic consequences. “There are dozens of references from people Mr Caboc has helped, buying food for more than 40 people in the Philippines and Romania, and we’ve evidence of payments he’s making out of his wages to various people.”
Caboc was jailed for 18 months and banned from driving for 27 months.
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These two good men were brought together for a split second, with tragic consequences
Jonathan Dunne, mitigating