A LORRY driver has been jailed for four years for causing the death of a woman in a motorway crash while fiddling with his loose satellite navigation unit.

Lithuanian-national Edvard Musik was driving a 35-tonne Mercedes-Benz Actros articulated lorry on the approach to junction three at the Staygate roundabout on the northbound carriageway of the M606 when the crash happened on October 7 last year.

Mother-of-two Angela Knight, 47, who was directly in front of Musik in queuing traffic, suffered "catastrophic injuries to her skull and brain" and was pronounced dead at the scene, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Jonathan Sharp, prosecuting, said: "A connection to his sat nav had become loose, and he was leaning across the cab in order to deal with it.

"He returned his attention to the road just before he was to collide with the Fiesta.

"As the defendant caught the rear of the Fiesta, the impact speed was between 41 and 45 mph.

"The Fiesta spun several times, and collided hard with the Renault Laguna in front of it. The Laguna, in turn, collided with a Morrisons lorry."

Mrs Knight, of Lymm, Cheshire, was on her way to visit one of her daughters, Sophie, 19, who is a student at the University of Bradford.

She was also due to remarry in December last year.

Musik, who pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing, had started his shift at 1am the day of the accident in Europe, travelled to Dover, made deliveries in Birmingham before travelling up to Bradford but had taken his regulation number of breaks.

Musik, who appeared in court alongside an interpreter, wept as he was jailed by the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Roger Thomas QC.

He had no previous convictions or any driving offences. He had been driving lorries for almost 30 years after leaving the Russian army in 1988, the court was told.

Paul Walker, mitigating, told the court Musik had written a letter to Mrs Knight's family to apologise for the "horrific accident" and was in tears at the roadside.

Jailing Musik, Judge Thomas told him: "This was an utterly avoidable accident if you were paying any attention whatsoever. It was a grossly avoidable distraction.

"The consequences of that for Mrs Knight's family and friends are truly terrible. Whatever sentence I pass will be of very little comfort to them.

"You lifted out of your seat and were fiddling with a sat nav in your vehicle. "You hit the back of Mrs Knight's car and you did so at a considerable speed, in these circumstances at over 40mph.

"Of course, as a HGV driver, you had a large responsibility of driving competently and carefully.

"Your remorse and regret is heartfelt and genuine. "

Musik, of Compton Road, Leicester, was also banned from driving for five years.

After the case, Sergeant Carole Greaves, of the Major Collision and Enquiry Team at West Yorkshire Police, said: "This case is another tragic reminder of what can happen when a motorist takes their eyes off the road. It is vital that road users pay attention at all times as situations can change in a split-second.

"Musik pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to causing this collision and the sentence he has received today reflects that, but the consequences of his actions will stay with him for the rest of his life."

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