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news
Justice (Lonpicman, Wikimedia Commons)Lorry driver whose view was blocked by dashboard tray table jailed for killing cyclist
The lorry driver who hit Birmingham cyclist Dr Suzanna Bull because his view was blocked by a dashboard tray table has been jailed for 21 months for causing her death by careless driving. The firm for which he worked has been fined for failing to supervise the use of the tables.
Bull was in a designated cycle lane when she was hit on Pershore Road, Edgbaston, on October 9, 2017.
Robert Bradbury, aged 50, passed her on Pershore Road before pulling up behind a van at a set of lights at the Priory Road junction.
Bull went ahead when the lights turned green and Bradbury turned left into her. The court heard that she was "dragged under the lorry".
The court heard that Bull had been in a position where Bradbury should have seen her, but he failed to do so because a tray-table, a cap, a sat-nav system, a fan, ornaments and other items had been placed in the centre of the dashboard of his 32-tonne Scania.
Asked why he had the tray table, Bradbury said: "Just so I could be one of the lads. They all had one so I got one."
The table’s presence would have meant an MOT failure. Bradbury said he wasn’t aware of this, but the Birmingham Mail reports it was removed before his vehicle’s MOT and reinstalled afterwards.
His employer, S&J Transport, was aware this happened.
PC Mark Crozier, from West Midlands Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “The dashboard tables used by Bradbury and a number of other drivers across the UK are designed to only be used when the vehicle is stationary.
"They are not to be used when driving, as they clearly present a danger. The junk he accumulated on his dashboard contributed to the fatal collision.
“Both Bradbury and his employer knew his view would be impaired, but both their complacency and total lack of regard for the law were the overriding factors that led to the tragic death of Dr Suzanna Bull.
“I hope this sends a serious message to all road hauliers and drivers to review their vehicle checking processes as the safety of all road users is and always should be a priority."
S&J Transport pleaded guilty to failing to discharge its duty contrary to the Health and Safety at Work Act by failing to supervise the use of the tables and was fined £112,500 and ordered to pay £3,000 in costs.
Bradbury was jailed for 21 months and banned from the roads for 34 months.
Asked if he knew who was at fault for the accident during the trial, Bradbury said: "It was six of one and half-a-dozen of the other."
Judge Paul Farrer QC said he saw no signs during the trial that Bradbury believed he was to blame for the death.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
Latest Comments
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Radar tells me their closing speed, if they are slowing and how far away. Then I decide to say a prayer. The change of light pattern is incidental.
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Quite so, which is why our village 20mph zone covers the whole residential extent. Of course, enforcement is another thing..
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No, that's very doubtful while proper testing would be fully destructive.
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In that £1000 exactly scenario, beginners should probably be made aware that pedals will be extra.
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The relatives might of course disagree, but in general I'd countenance a relatively light sentence* if only we could fix it so that those who...
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16 comments
I was going to say something scathing about the level of remorse and empathy shown by this bloke, but words fail me...
Looks like he was driving his front room. No wonder he couldn't see anything.
21 months? For taking a life? Jesus. Word fail me.
With a book value of just under £2million that 5% fine is going to hurt. That comes out of reserves or turnover not covered by business insurance.
Then there's the knock-on when their o licence gets renewed (if it does) and their fleet insurance renews too.
The HSE fines are the ones that get you or anythin with environment is going to sting too.
Fucking atrocious sentence. Total lack of remorse and yet he'll still be allowed to drive professionally in a few years. Beggars belief - it wouldn't be the case in maritime/aviation sectors. It's not like we're desperately short of lorry drivers, just ban the fucker for life.
Life for Bradbury may be harder than you think. It will be extremely difficult for any employer to find insurance for him and if they do, the cost will be astronomical. In addition to that hurdle his local traffic commissioners are likely to reject any application for the return of his HGV licence. His days as a professional driver are probably over.
”probably” isn’t enough. It should definitely be over. As should the careers of his bosses. Wouldn’t be allowed in any other sector.
Because we all know the checks any future employer in the truck driving industry are foolproof,never skipped,not who you know etc etc
why no corporate manslaughter charge?
I'd be willing to contribute towards a crowd funded corporate manslaughter case against the haulage firm. Their directors should be joining Bradbury for a spell in prison.
Or else his supervisor... basically which ever person or persons approved it/knew about it and didn't tell him to remove it.
Holy sh1t!
PP
Another person considering their vehicle to be an extension of their house...
TBF to long distance lorry drivers, they pretty much are their homes. However what he did was taking the piss somewhat and the fact he removed it for MOT's and his company knew about it and let him do it luckily wasn't ignored by the courts. (although the sentencing as always leaves something to be desired.)
The dashboard table.
Another totally unremorseful highly trained, professional killer driver.
0_Lorry-dashboard-wm.jpg
What a f***ing joke. I understand that lorry drivers practically live in their vehicles, but they should be banned from putting any ornamentation in the front section of the cab, no laptops, tablets or screens to distract them or anything that blocks the windscreen (other than perhaps a small GPS somehwere where it can't obscure the view of a cyclist or pedestrian).