A van driver has been found guilty of causing death by careless driving after crashing into a broken-down car on a smart motorway along the M4.
Barry O’Sullivan, 45, was driving a Ford Transit Connect westbound between junctions 11 and 12 near Reading, Berkshire, when he collided with a stationary black Nissan Micra shortly before 08:40 GMT on 7 March 2022.
Pulvinder Dhillon, 68, who was a passenger in the vehicle, died as a result of the collision. Two other people were seriously injured and taken to hospital.
Reading Crown Court heard the Nissan had stalled in lane four of the motorway during the morning rush hour. Footage played to jurors showed other motorists moving around the stranded vehicle before O’Sullivan’s van struck it. He was found to have been travelling at approximately 77mph in the moments before impact.
Prosecutors said O’Sullivan failed to take avoiding action, with one describing how he “essentially ploughed straight into the back of the stationary Nissan”.
The defence argued that there were no adequate warnings about the broken-down car and claimed the smart motorway system had been defective in the days leading up to the crash. O’Sullivan, who had a clean driving licence and no alcohol or drugs in his system, suffered serious injuries and spent four months in hospital following the incident.
Emergency services closed the motorway in both directions as they responded to the scene, with the road remaining shut for several hours.
In a statement released previously, Ms Dhillon’s family described her as “a beautiful, kind mother, mother-in-law, sister, Grandma and friend who was loved and respected by all she knew”.
The 32-mile smart motorway stretch between junction 3 at Hayes and junction 12 at Theale was completed in December 2022. In April 2023, the Conservative government cancelled plans for new smart motorways following safety and cost concerns.