Lorry driver jailed after “lapse in concentration” leaves mother and daughter with life changing injuries

A lorry driver has been jailed for 22 months after a "lapse in concentration' saw him veer onto the wrong side of the road and cause a crash which has left a mother and daughter with life-changing injuries.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Sergejs Mikulovs lost control of the articulated truck while attempting to negotiate a bend at 60mph on the evening of July 12, 2021 at Seven Mile Lane, near Mereworth, Kent, and veered into the opposite carriageway. He was heading towards a depot in Paddock Wood.

The truck collided with a Vauxhall Corsa coming in the opposite direction, causing the car to catch fire.

A woman and her adult daughter inside the Corsa were treated at the scene before being taken to a London hospital with serious injuries.

A police investigation established that when Mikulovs lost control of the lorry it had reached a speed of almost 60mph, on a stretch of road which had a maximum legal limit of 50mph.

Mikulovs, 42, of Fulmar Road, Strood, was charged with two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving after pleading guilty at Maidstone Crown Court last Friday (24 March).

He was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment and disqualified from driving for almost three years.

PC Chris Oliver-Jones, of the Kent Police serious collision investigation unit, said: "As this case shows a lapse in concentration can have devastating consequences.

Sergejs Mikulovs was simply going too fast to safely negotiate a stretch of road he had travelled several times and knew very well.

"It must always be the responsibility of the driver to take account of circumstances and conditions every time they get behind the wheel.

“The driver of the Corsa stood almost no chance in getting out of the way and two people have now sadly been left suffering some appalling injuries which will have a profound impact on the rest of their lives. One of the victims will require lifelong ongoing care."