A harrowing video has been released showing the dangers of using a phone behind the wheel after a lorry driver was jailed for wiping out four members of a family in a crash.
Tomasz Kroker ploughed into a queue of cars, killing a woman and three children.
The 30-year-old admitted he had been changing music on his phone at the time of the crash and today was jailed for 10 years.
Mother Tracey Houghton, 45, her sons Ethan, 13, and Josh, 11, and her partner's daughter Aimee Goldsmith, 11, were killed instantly when their Vauxhall Corsa was forced underneath a lorry in front and crushed 'to a third of its size'.
The judge said that in the moments before the crash, on the A34 near Newbury in Berkshire, Kroker was so distracted he “may as well have had his eyes closed.”
Tomasz Kroker, from Andover, Hampshire, was jailed for 10 years at Reading Crown Court after admitting to causing death by dangerous driving
Thames Valley Police have now released the hard-hitting footage which shows the lead-up to the smash filmed from a dashboard camera.
Kroker can be scrolling through music on his phone, only noticing the stationary traffic and bracing for the crash less than a second before impact.
Police have released images showing the harrowing wreckage of the car
Mum to victim Aimee Goldsmith, Kate Goldsmith said: “For all intents and purposes his use of a mobile phone whilst driving turned his lorry into a lethal weapon “He was so distracted he made no attempt to slow down.
“The sentence of ten years in prison will not ease our pain and suffering nor do we believe it will send a strong enough message to those who lack the self-restraint to not use mobile phones whilst driving.”
Thames Valley Police chief inspector Henry Parsons added: “Tracey Ethan Josh and Aimee aren’t here today and Adam is injured for one simple reason Tomasz Kroker chose to use a mobile phone whilst driving.
“The families here and everyone involved ask that I reinforce how dangerous it is to drive whilst using a mobile phone and ask that we all have a collective responsibility not to do so whilst driving.
“It simply isn’t worth the risk.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel