Speeding motorist killed in head-on smash with lorry
A DRIVER who had been travelling at “excessive” speeds attempted to overtake another vehicle on the A16 and ploughed head-on into a lorry, an inquest heard.
Zydrunas Krasauskas, of Roman Road, Moulton Chapel, gave HGV driver Jake Buckley no chance to react before the two vehicles collided, which also resulted in two other vehicles being hit. Mr Krasauskas (22) died of multiple injuries.
Giving evidence to the hearing at Spalding Magistrates’ Court on Friday, Mr Buckley said it had been a dry day with good visibility when the collision happened on August 9 last year.
He said he saw Mr Krasauskas’s black Toyota Celica overtake a Ford Transit pick-up truck before pulling in behind a Ford Focus.
“He did not look like he was going to overtake,” said Mr Buckley. “As I came up to the car he was travelling behind he pulled right the way across in front of me.
“All I can remember is the gentleman having a big grin on his face. I had kept an eye on him because of his previous overtaking.”
Ford Transit driver Colin Pattison said the Celica was travelling at an “excessive” speed when it overtook him just after the roundabout where Moulton Chapel Road meets the A16.
He said: “The HGV driver had no chance of avoiding it because he pulled straight out in front of the lorry. I think I told police he must have been travelling in excess of 80mph when he overtook me.”
Collision investigator PC Paul Whetstone described the damage at the scene from where the Celica and lorry had met head-on, and the Celica had also hit the Ford Focus on its drivers side.
The lorry had also gone on to hit the Ford pick-up truck, which was tipped on to its side.
PC Whetstone said the lorry had been travelling at 54mph, but even if it had been travelling at 40mph a collision would still have been likely.
He said: “From the evidence I have, there is no way he would have had a big enough gap to overtake safely.”
Coroner Maureen Taylor recorded a verdict of accidental death.
Giving her verdict, Miss Taylor said: “All witnesses have stated that Mr Krasauskas was travelling at a high speed and for some unknown reason he pulled out and attempted to overtake the Ford Focus when it was clearly unsafe to do so.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Spalding
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: East
Comments
There are 14 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
HollygoLula
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 12:35 PM@13 Smokeyjoe...exactly. The new road is safe enough for cars to travel faster than 40mph but they are often held up by slow moving vehicles. As roads are becoming more congested, new ideas need to be introduced to spread the traffic. HGVs could only travel by night, no learner drivers during rush hour times, staggered start times for office workers, etc. HGV & tractor drivers are selfish though, why do HGV drivers use the B1040 from crowland to thorney...its not suitable for that size of vehicle and why do tractors use the main roads with their dirt mud filled wheels?
smokeyjoe
Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 01:54 PMLorries crawling along at 40mph causing tailbacks and frustration have no part in this then?
Insideout
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 09:35 PMIs the drivers or the road? People commenting here don't seem to know. Those who blame the road need to be more explicit about what is so unique about the new road that makes drivers act with a level of insanity, apparently only seen when driving on this particular section of road. Of course, it may be that the new road is simply exposing the inherent shortcomings of these people and all we are seeing is exactly the same lousy standard of driving they display every time they drive and the openness of this road just offers them the chance to do it more often in the same journey. For those who wish to continue to blame the road, can you please explain what the difference is between this single carriageway road and the one it replaced - apart from being a good deal flatter that is.
HollygoLula
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 11:08 AMWhen the new road opened, it should have been for cars, vans, bikes, etc. HGV's and other slow moving vehicles should use the old road. This would disperse the traffic more evenly, and leave the new road needing less repairs in the future, due to heavy vehicle use.
Lazy Daisy
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 08:00 AMLike the wheelie-pulling biker, he paid the ultimate price for his foolish behaviour and lack of judgement. Sympathy should be with the families who grieve their loss.
G3M
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 10:47 AMWell I'm not being horrible but I have no sympathy for him as its his fault. It's just a shame he isn't alive to get the points or a ban.
ysandy
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 09:53 PMshould have tried passing his bike test, instead of trying to be so clever.
trickyhicky270
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 03:24 PM@ number 2, I think you will find that motorways are statistically far safer than single carriageway roads. We have a big problem here with tractors and lorries doing 40mph and limited opportunity too overtake safely. Car drivers will not ever be prepared to just sit there doing 38Mph for miles and miles and miles until they get out of this godforesaken county plus they are far more alert and attentive at 60 or 70mph and less likely to get the phone out or start playing with the radio etc. I have driven all over the UK but I always dread getting back to Lincolnshire's awful roads.
Ex-Holbeach Boy
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 01:10 PM@5 I hate the new road - I am even considering going through Eye again to get to Holbeach when the old A1073 re-opens. I've had several near misses with idiot overtaking and often get stuck behind lorries - it's a nightmare and should have been duelled.
Akaleesh
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 12:55 PMI dissagree. I've never experienced as mush aggressive driving as I have done on this new road now. Its like people are in such a rush to bomb down this road that they have to leapfrog traffic in a crazy fashion. I've never had so much of that in the past.
Mr Angry of Tonbridge
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 12:40 PM@Akaleesh. The "average driver" has always driven badly. I commuted to Peterborough for a couple of months last summer and the new road is certainly better that the old one. Part of the problem is, that people will not leave a gap between their vehicle and the one in front large enough for someone to overtake in to. The result of this is that they can't see when it is safe for themselves to overtake (if they ever want to). Don't get me started on old geezers driving Nissan Micras wearing flat caps and pebble glasses.
Akaleesh
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 10:33 AMAgree with coment number 2. Its amazing how bad people drive these days. Aggressive drivers are more common than ever. My commute to and from peterborough every day is a nightmare.
bertie65
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 09:14 AMnot so tricyhicky otherwise you wouldnt get pileups on motorways theres nothing wrong with the road its the people that use it without due care and attention to other road users that are to blame in most cases
trickyhicky270
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 07:58 AMIf we had proper dual carriageway roads in South Lincolnshire this sort of thing would not happen.
Page 1 of 1
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.