Lorry driver distracted by phone ploughs into family’s car on busy road

Video footage captures the moment a lorry driver crashed into a family’s broken down car while he was distracted using his phone.

Raymond Catterall, 44, almost hit three people and a dog stood on the side of the road of the A55 near Bangor, north Wales, on May 15 last year.

Caernarfon Crown Court heard that when police arrived, Catterall explained that he tried to swerve to avoid the car and sought assistant from a nearby home.

Prosecutor William Griffin said Catterall admitted he should have noticed the stationary vehicle but claimed it had unexpectedly pulled out in front of him.

When questioned about potential distractions, Catterall responded that he couldn’t remember.

Simon Mintz, defending, said: ‘He was trying to find a podcast, for what it’s worth, but that was enough of a distraction for him to not see the car on the carriageway.’

Mr Mintz said his client showed deep regret and acknowledged he has ‘plenty of remorse’.

Catterall claimed the car ‘pulled out’ in front of him, but he later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

The judge Timothy Petts addressed Catterall and said the crash was ‘entirely avoidable’ and served as a warning against mobile phone use while driving.

Catterall was handed a suspended sentence for the offence of dangerous driving and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and adhere to a three-month curfew with electronic monitoring from 7pm to 7am.

He also received a 12-month disqualification for both the dangerous driving and using a mobile phone while driving, to run concurrently.

He will be required to pass an extended retest before being able to drive again.

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