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I CASE THREE
Page 24
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Death crash driver is jailed for four years
A GERMAN LORRY driver who drove for 19 hours without a break before causing a fatal crash due to a lapse of concentration, has been jailed for four years.
The tired driver claimed he was scared of stopping just in case he was attacked.
Rolf Artmann admitted causing the death of 63-year-old retired receptionist Dorothy Thomas by dangerous driving when he appeared at Mold Crown Court.
Prosecuting, Ian Evans said that Artmann left Dortmund the previous morning and drove to Calais, some 270 miles away. He caught the ferry to Dover and then drove continuously to Anglesey. The incident happened on a left-hand bend on the A5025 after he had been driving for more than 19 hours. Artmann's truck "drifted" across the road, causing a head-on collision with Thomas' car near Amlwch.
She braked and veered to the left, but there was nowhere to go. Her car was pushed backwards and it overturned. She suffered multiple injuries and was declared dead at the scene. The defendant, clearly distraught, ran to a house to get help and explained as best he could what had just happened.
Artmann, from Dortmund, claimed he was scared of stopping in a lay-by or a motorway service station in Britain in case he got attacked. He attempted to get from Dover to Rehau Plastics at Amlwch without stopping, planning to take his rests there.
Artmann covered up his drivers' hours offences by twice removing the chart from his tachograph. He denied falling asleep, but fully accepted responsibility for the fatal head-on crash.
Owen Edwards, defending, described the accident as "a momentary but catastrophic loss of concentration".
Sentencing Artmann, Judge John Rogers QC said that he was driving when knowingly deprived of adequate sleep and rest. He ordered Artmann to take a retest before he drove again.