A lorry driver has been fined £267 and awarded three penalty points after concrete blocks strapped to the back of his lorry smashed into a £50,000 Tesla car as the truck rounded a corner.
Norwich Magistrates' Court heard that David Terry was driving his lorry on the B1535 at Weston Longville when the load fell off the back of his truck as it rounded a corner, smashing into the Tesla which was being driven by company director Neil Collins, whose wife Alison was sitting beside him in the passenger seat.
Norwich Magistrates' Court heard the blocks caused “significant damage to the vehicle” with the driver’s wife taken to hospital by ambulance, although both escaped any long standing injuries.
Speaking at the time of the incident, Collins said the car, which had just 700 miles on the clock, had saved their lives. “The windscreen collapsed but luckily it pretty much held. It was quite amazing that we walked away,” he explained.
Collins has since been contacted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), after footage of the load falling on to the Tesla, recorded by the car’s dashcam went viral on social media.
The DVSA plans to use the footage and photos in a social media campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of insecure loads.
Terry pleaded guilty to using a vehicle where the weight, distribution of its load, namely pallet of bricks, was such that its use on a road involved a danger of injury.
In his defence Ian Fisher said Terry, had no criminal record, had been driving cars and HGVs for more than 40 and 35 years respectively with an “unblemished” record, adding that Terry was “a proud man with an exemplary driving record” and was “very disappointed to be in this position.”
The court heard that Terry worked as a driver, doing farm work for a haulage firm based at Hindringham but also worked as a sub-contractor to other operators, which he was doing when this incident occurred.
The defence told the court that Terry went to the Lenwade depot and sat inside his cab, as he was required to, as the concrete blocks were loaded by forklift. Fisher explained to the court that Terry was “not allowed to play any part in the loading at all”.
However once the load was on the lorry Terry had to help secure the load with ratchet straps.
Fisher said Terry believed the incident happened as a result of damage to the wooden pallet when the blocks were loaded by forklift. “If one of the planks of the pallet becomes damaged the base for the slabs becomes insecure,” he added.
Alan Lusher, chair of the bench of magistrates, said the injuries which resulted from the incident were relatively minor. Noting that Terry had a “quite exemplary” driving record he imposed three penalty points and fined him £267, plus £85 costs and a £34 victim surcharge.
