Blackout lorry driver jailed for four years for causing fatal crash
A lorry driver who caused a fatal crash in the UK after suffering a blackout at the wheel has been jailed for four years.
Dalius Matulaitis, 51, had felt unwell and suffered blackouts earlier in the day but decided to continue driving, Ipswich Crown Court heard.
He suffered a further blackout while driving on the A140 from Norwich to Felixstowe and caused a three-vehicle crash, involving two lorries and a Renault Megane.
Megane driver Colin Fisk, 43, from Kesgrave, Suffolk, died at the scene and his seven-year-old daughter, who was a passenger in the car, suffered two broken collar bones.
Both lorry drivers suffered minor injuries.
Matulaitis, of Rectory Gardens, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on Thursday, Suffolk Police said.
He was jailed for four years and banned from driving for five years.
The crash happened on the A140 near Brockford, Suffolk, at around 11.20am on July 25.
Detective Inspector Chris Hinitt said: "This tragedy was completely avoidable and highlights the extreme dangers of continuing to drive if you are not feeling well enough to do so - even more so when in charge of a heavy goods vehicle."
