HGV driver 'scrolled mindlessly on phone' moments before M58 crash which killed beloved dad
A HGV driver has been jailed for ten years after causing the death of a father while scrolling on his phone on the M58.
Daniel Aitchison had picked up his Hyundai Kona, a company car, from a garage in Blackpool and was driving home on May 17, 2024.
He was on a hands-free call with his partner when the line cut off abruptly.
Neil Platt, 43, of Bootle, Merseyside, was driving his HGV from Dumfries to Liverpool.
An investigation found he repeatedly interacted with social media apps, including WhatsApp and TikTok, and only looked at the road briefly in the 45 seconds before the crash.
Platt collided with the rear of Daniel’s car, which was stationary in traffic, forcing it into a second HGV.
Daniel was killed instantly and his car caught fire, leaving it unrecognisable.
Platt was travelling at 54mph and only braked 35 metres before impact.
Daniel’s partner Kerry, who is also mother to his two children, Ella, 17, and 10-year-old Jack, said: “When Danny was killed, I continually tried to call him back.
“I never thought at that time that he was involved in it or had come to any harm.
“Danny was in my life for 23 years, and life will never be the same again.”
Ella, who was just one week into her GCSEs at the time, said: “Life has never been the same since he died.
“He was a good man, driven by family and a pure love of life.
“You didn’t mean to kill my dad, but you must have known your actions could have killed someone.”
Platt pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Preston Crown Court.
He was sentenced to ten years, disqualified from driving for 13 years and eight months, and will have to pass an extended driving test before returning to the road.
Det Sgt Matthew Davidson, of Lancashire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Danny got in his car intending to make it home safely.
“Platt knowingly scrolled on his phone while driving a large vehicle. His selfish decision took the life of a father, partner, brother and son.”
Lancashire Police are urging anyone who sees a driver using a phone to report it.
Call 101 for non-emergencies or 999 if a crime is in progress.