Lorry driver facing jail over M6 crash death

A lorry driver was facing jail today after admitting causing the death of a man by driving carelessly on a motorway slip road in the Black Country.

Matthew Broadley was behind the wheel of a Renault tipper lorry when it collided with a car on the M6 slip road at junction 10 in Walsall on October 15 last year.

Broadley, who was a driver for S & B Waste Management & Recycling, based in Purbrook Road, Wolverhampton, admitted causing the death of Mark Roberts, aged 46.

Mr Roberts, of Willenhall, was freed by firefighters from the silver Peugeot he was driving.

He was later discharged but made two further visits to his GP complaining of neck pain. He died on October 21, 2011 – six days after the accident.

A post mortem examination revealed that Mr Roberts had died of a brain haemorrhage and cervical, or neck, trauma, Walsall Magistrates Court had previously heard.

Broadley, of The Vista, Sedgley, pleaded guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday to driving without due care and attention.

Judge Martin Walsh told Broadley, 31, that "all sentencing options are open".

In his basis of plea, Broadley said he had slowed his vehicle because there was a queue of traffic waiting at lights which were on red.

He admitted that as the lights turned to green he wrongly assumed that the traffic would move forward without difficulty and that his attention was "diverted momentarily".

He said that when he looked back at the road, one of the lead vehicles had stalled or hesitated and that, despite applying his emergency brakes, he misjudged the situation and there was a collision.

Mr Andrew Wilkins, prosecuting, told the court it was accepted that Broadley "took his eyes off the road for a moment with tragic consequences".

Judge Martin Walsh remanded him on bail for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

He said the pre-sentence report was vital before sentence could be passed but he told Broadley he would have to be disqualified from driving immediately.

Judge Walsh told Broadley that the fact he was being allowed bail was no indication as to what sentence he would receive when he appears in court again next month.

Broadley will be required to meet with members of the probation service in the coming weeks for the report to be drawn up.

Wearing an open-necked shirt and jacket, he showed no emotion as the judge addressed him during yesterday's 10-minute hearing.