M1 crash - can someone explain

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Phil Fouracre
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M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by Phil Fouracre »

I know this isn't really cycling relevant, but, can anyone explain the logic behind the sentencing? Polish driver, Masierak, stops on the motorway, he is drunk, but, he could have just broken down. Second driver, Wagstaff, not drunk, assumed to be sentient! smashes into the back of a minibus waiting to pull out around the stopped lorry, without braking or taking any avoiding action.
Yes, obviously drunk driver is completely 'in the wrong' and guilty of a major misdemeanour! But, it's Wagstaff who does the damage, he was the driver 'in motion', and had spent an hour, in his own words, on the phone 'talking rubbish' to someone else.
So, why does he get a tenth of the sentence, to a charge of careless, rather than dangerous?
Would be interested to know how others see it.
Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity
Cyril Haearn
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Re: M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by Cyril Haearn »

I have my antennae out for early April fool jokes
There is nothing funny about this, just bizarre, unbelievable
Maybe a clever lawyer was involved
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pwa
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Re: M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by pwa »

I've not been following that story, but if it is as you say it does seem odd.
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John1054
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Re: M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by John1054 »

Maybe because he pleaded guilty? Sentencing always seems a bit bizarre to me :shock:
thirdcrank
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Re: M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by thirdcrank »

M was sentenced for causing death by dangerous driving.
W was sentenced for causing death by careless driving, to which he had pleaded guilty. He was acquitted by the jury of causing death by dangerous driving.
profpointy
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Re: M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by profpointy »

I too find it disquieting. Being in the way is more dangerous than not looking where you are going it seems. As a cyclist the parallel with running over cyclists who are in the way is chilling. Maybe the cyclist is the danger for being in the way and the driver is blameless? In Bristol, a cycling friendly city in fairness - largely because of driver attitude - there are signs up saying "cyclists be seen". If not seen signs saying "drivers, look where the f you are going"
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Mick F
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Re: M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by Mick F »

Pedantic head on. :oops:

How can someone be guilty of dangerous driving if they were stationary?
Mick F. Cornwall
Bonefishblues
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Re: M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by Bonefishblues »

Being in the way whilst having driven a large commercial vehicle knowing you were completely (2x limit) intoxicated - so intoxicated that you park it for in excess of 10 minutes on a live carriageway, despite hard shoulder being available.

Yep, he was was "in the way" alright.
Cyril Haearn
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Re: M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Heard the Staumeldungen on the radio, traffic jams, there are often jams in the middle of the night, tiredness may be involved when 'the vehicle he was travelling in the road'
Overnight transport should be reduced, I am glad to wait three days for a book

Anyone got a link?
Diolch
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Even a well-maintained vehicle may break down at any time

Any figures for near-misses or 'accidents' where no-one was hurt?

The Polizei estimate quote the financial damage caused in 'accidents'. In Kassel a truck driver ignored a red light and hit a tram, a few people were injured
Damage estimated at €1 000 000
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Bonefishblues
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Re: M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by Bonefishblues »

Cyril Haearn wrote:Even a well-maintained vehicle may break down at any time


All sorts of things can happen, but that wasn't the case here.
reohn2
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Re: M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by reohn2 »

Phil Fouracre wrote:I know this isn't really cycling relevant, but, can anyone explain the logic behind the sentencing? Polish driver, Masierak, stops on the motorway, he is drunk, but, he could have just broken down. Second driver, Wagstaff, not drunk, assumed to be sentient! smashes into the back of a minibus waiting to pull out around the stopped lorry, without braking or taking any avoiding action.
Yes, obviously drunk driver is completely 'in the wrong' and guilty of a major misdemeanour! But, it's Wagstaff who does the damage, he was the driver 'in motion', and had spent an hour, in his own words, on the phone 'talking rubbish' to someone else.
So, why does he get a tenth of the sentence, to a charge of careless, rather than dangerous?
Would be interested to know how others see it.

On the face of it Wagstaff's sentence is paltry in the extreme as he is the cause of the crash.
The puzzling thing is that Masierk didn't pull over onto the hard shouulder :?
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thirdcrank
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Re: M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by thirdcrank »

Mick F wrote: ... How can someone be guilty of dangerous driving if they were stationary?


Driving isn't restricted to when a vehicle is moving. Beyond that, it's already been pointed out that the act of stopping in those circumstances was, in itself, dangerous. Stopping in the other sense of "remaining there" was also dangerous.
Bonefishblues
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Re: M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by Bonefishblues »

I guess we can debate the definition of cause at some length.
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Cunobelin
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Re: M1 crash - can someone explain

Post by Cunobelin »

Mick F wrote:Pedantic head on. :oops:

How can someone be guilty of dangerous driving if they were stationary?



Insufficient evidence to know, whether or not the motor was running in this case, but that can be the deciding factor

It was a critical element in phone use.

If the engine was running that you were guilty of the offence, car in neutral, engine off and handbrake on and you were OK

I


From the CPS

Under existing case law a person may still be driving whilst the engine is running and the vehicle is stationary. This means that an individual stopped at a traffic light could be prosecuted for a mobile phone offence. The intention of the legislation is to promote road safety and so it will not normally be in the public interest to prosecute this offence if the driver has safely pulled over and stopped before taking hold of the phone.



If you extrapolate that and assume that the engine was running then he would still be "driving" under the law
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