A lorry driver who crashed into a queue of stationary vehicles on the A27 near Chichester, causing life changing injuries to three people, has been jailed for over three years, Sussex police said this week.
Kuljinder Singh, 45, from Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, was driving a Mercedes HGV when he failed to brake as he approached stationary traffic on the eastbound A27 between the Fishbourne and Stockbridge roundabouts at about 16:15 on 8 August 2022.
Three people - two in a van immediately in front of the lorry and another in a car that overturned in the crash - suffered life-changing injuries, police said.
Singh was arrested and charged with three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He admitted the charges and at Portsmouth Crown Court on 10 October he was sentenced to more than three years in prison.
He was also disqualified from driving.
He accelerated to more than 50mph at impact, causing a collision with three other vehicles which left one car overturned on its roof.
The victim in the overturned car continues to suffer from life-changing injuries, as do the two men who were in the van immediately in front of the lorry.
One said: “This has changed my life in every way; I now live with the lasting trauma of what happened.
“I remember waking up in the front passenger seat, I had previously been unconscious. The reason I awoke was because I was choking on my own blood.
“I turned to my work colleague. I had no idea if he was alive or dead.
“I believe this collision was avoidable, I cannot understand why the driver of an HGV has crashed into us, causing multiple vehicles to be destroyed and causing me to sustain life-changing injuries.”
The driver of the van added: “I am frustrated that the driver has never explained personally why or how the collision occurred.”
The collision was investigated by Sussex Police. There was no evidence Singh had been using a mobile phone while driving, and he was not intoxicated.
Sergeant Mark Farrow from the Roads Policing Unit said: “This was a highly distressing collision which highlights the devastating impact dangerous driving has.
“All drivers need to be alert at the wheel, especially lorry drivers who pose a greater risk of harm to other road users.
“It is a miracle that no one was killed on the road that day, and Singh’s driving fell far below the standard of a competent driver.
“This case should be a warning to all drivers about road safety. We are pleased that a dangerous driver has been taken off our roads and will serve a significant custodial sentence.”
