Van driver found guilty over fatal crash on M4 smart motorway in Berkshire
A motorist who crashed into the back of a broken-down car on a smart motorway has been convicted of causing the fatal collision.
Barry O’Sullivan, 45, of Wixams near Bedford, was driving a grey Ford work van at the time of the collision with a Nissan Micra, which had stopped in the outside lane of the M4 in Berkshire.
The crash on 7 March 2022 on the westbound carriageway between junctions 11 and 12 caused both vehicles to propel forward, with the Nissan bursting into flames.
Pulvinder Dhillon, who was a passenger in her daughter’s Micra, suffered fatal injuries.
The Nissan had been stationary in the fast lane for six minutes before the collision, the trial at Reading Crown Court was previously told.
O’Sullivan was driving his vehicle at speeds of 74-80mph along that same stretch of motorway for the five seconds before the crash.
An unresolved technical failure on the M4 smart motorway network meant alerts for broken-down vehicles were not properly communicated in the days leading up to the collision, the trial heard.
Defence lawyers argued O’Sullivan could not have caused the death of Ms Dhillon because the crash was “inevitable” given that the car was stationary in the fast lane and the smart motorway was not displaying any warning signs to other motorists.
While acknowledging “something went wrong” with the motorway’s safety alert system, the prosecution argued O’Sullivan still caused the death of Ms Dhillon by driving carelessly and “at speed”.
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He did not pick up on “cues” that the vehicle was stationary, including the fact other motorists were taking steps to avoid the broken-down Nissan, the prosecution told jurors.
O’Sullivan was found guilty on one count of causing death by careless driving.
A preliminary sentencing date has been set for 24 April.
