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An HGV driver who denied he was too tired to drive has been jailed for 28 months after causing a motorway collision that left a man with multiple life-changing injuries.

Ivan Zhyhan was driving at 45mph on the M11 near Harlow in an artic when he ploughed into the back of a stationary Renault Kangoo van in front of him, shunting the van into the rear of a stationary articulated lorry in front of that.

At the time of the collision, just before 10pm on 13 February 2019, there were matrix warning signals illuminated over the carriageway indicating that there was a lane closure ahead, resulting in queuing, stationary traffic.

Zhyhan was arrested at the scene and during an interview he claimed he hadn’t seen the van until he was 20 metres away from it, despite other vehicles travelling slowly and the van’s hazard lights illuminated.

The lorry driver denied causing serious injury by dangerous driving but following a seven-day trial a jury found him guilty of the offence.

He was sentenced to two years and four months in prison and disqualified from driving for three years.

PC Alan Marks of Essex police said: “I want to pay tribute to the victim, who despite his very serious injuries, has supported our investigation to reach this conclusion.

“He sustained life threatening injuries, hospitalising him for a month, and included two skull fractures, a bleed on the brain and fractures to his neck, ribs, vertebrae and shoulder.

“His recovery isn’t over.

“Ivan Zhyhan was too tired to drive,” he added. “His journey was captured by dash cam CCTV footage from within the cab and showed how he was trying to keep himself awake but ultimately, he failed.

“The collision was completely preventable if he had only stopped at the services at junction 8 and rested.”

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