M6 crash outside Warrington made victim believe he ‘could have died’

Hassan Shafai, of Turnpike in Preston, appeared in Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday morning after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

The court heard that at 8.55am on October 31, 2023, Shafai was travelling southbound on the M6 near junction 21A, Croft, on his way to a job.

Also travelling on the road was a man in a black BMW, who was estimated to be travelling at around 70 miles per hour in lane three.

It was heard that Shafai, who was driving a white van, overtook the BMW and tried to pull into the same lane before there was sufficient distance between vehicles.

In two separate clips of dashcam footage played in court, Shafai’s white van could be seen to swerve into the third lane, clipping the front wheel of the BWM and push it across.

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This then caused the driver of the car to swerve into the second lane and into the path of another driver, who was travelling at around 50 miles per hour.

This second driver, who was in a van, was then himself pushed from his lane and consequently onto the hard shoulder before coming to a stop.

Prosecuting, Tom Watson told the court that this driver briefly lost consciousness after he hit his head as a result of the collision and that he dislocated his shoulder.

Despite the fact the driver of the van had been pushed onto the hard shoulder, Shafai could be seen in the footage to continue up the motorway.

It was heard that the 44-year-old later pulled over to exchange insurance details with the BMW driver.

Victim impact statements were read out by Mr Watson to the court, which explained the impact that Shafai’s dangerous driving had on both victims.

The court heard that the driver of the van ‘believed he could have died’ during the collision and now suffers from flashbacks.

The driver of the BMW now suffers with anxiety, especially while on the motorway where he ‘gets shivers’.

Shafai was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court (Image: Stock)

Defending, Jacob Dyer told the court that Shafai has a clean driver’s licence and no previous convictions.

“He is someone who was driving over 30,000 miles a year doing this job and has never had a point on his licence,” said Mr Dyer.

“It’s inattention over a short period when he moved lanes.”

The court also heard that the father-of-two had been working 70-hour weeks to provide for his family and being disqualified from driving for a long period of time would have a significant impact upon them.

“You didn’t look clearly enough in your mirrors,” said Recorder Richard Conley.

“It may have been that the vehicle was in a blind spot, it may have been that you were exhausted having been working 70-hour weeks for as long as you can remember.

“Whatever the reason, it was inattention which caused this accident which could have had more serious consequences than it did.

“You were working far too many hours and driving far too many miles to be able to remain in safe control of your van.

“You have an exemplary driving record, you have shown remorse, you are going through some difficult personal circumstances with your family, and I recognise that this incident and the impact of this incident will be significant in terms of your family finances and your ability to work.”

In his sentencing remarks, Recorder Conley noted that he looked at the fact the victim in the van went unconscious with ‘some scepticism’ due to the controlled stop the van came to on the hard shoulder.

Shafai was sentenced to a 12-month community order and must complete 120 hours unpaid work.

He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months, which Recorder Conley noted was the minimum term he could order.