Hartlepool motorist injured workmates in crash after falling asleep at wheel

Trevor Williams, from Hartlepool, had just finished an eight-hour shift in Slough, Berkshire, when he set off home without getting any rest, prosecutor Rob Stevenson told York Crown Court.

Williams, who worked in cable pulling, fell asleep while driving his white Ford Transit van at excessive speeds on the A1(M) at Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire, the court learned.

The crash occurred just after 2am on May 22, 2020, when the lorry driver saw the van approaching “at speeds of between 80mph and 90mph” and then veer across three lanes of the motorway.

He then heard a “loud bang” as the van crashed into the lorry’s rear.

One of Williams’s colleagues, who was asleep in the front passenger seat, suffered injuries including a broken leg and ankle and underwent three operations during seven weeks in hospital.

The second victim, who was in the back seat, suffered a broken nose which led to “significant” scarring and nasal deformity.

Williams’s injuries were not as serious as those suffered by his Hartlepool friends.

He claimed he had made several stops for rest and refuelling during the overnight journey.

But the prosecution said the police investigation suggested he had stopped only once.

“He said he felt tired but no more than usual,” said Mr Stevenson.

Williams, 38, of Eaglesfield Road, told police he had either fallen asleep or “blacked out”.

He admitted two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Benjamin Whittingham, mitigating, said Williams felt a “great degree of remorse” for causing “deeply unpleasant” injuries to his two friends.

He added that the two victims had both provided character references for Williams and were still working with him.

Judge Simon Hickey said “speed played some part” in the horror crash, telling Williams: “You knew you hadn’t taken any rest or sleep to ensure you were fit to drive and you had not only put yourself and your passengers at risk, but potentially many others.”

He added, however, that he could spare Williams jail because he was “effectively a man of good character”, had shown genuine remorse and admitted the offences at the earliest opportunity.

Williams received an 18-month suspended jail term and was banned from driving for three-and-a-half years.

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