Van pull-out causes lorry to plunge down embankment — ‘Miracle’ no one killed

Emergency Services at the scene of the incident at Glarryford, outside Ballymena

A COURT heard it was a "miracle" nobody was killed after a van driver's careless driving ended up with a lorry crashing down an embankment onto the A26 dual-carriageway at Glarryford near Ballymena.

The van driver - Patrick Fitzpatrick (56), from the Dunloy area -  pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention at Station Road, Glarryford, around 5.45pm on March 20 this year.

Footage of the incident was played at Ballymena Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

The court was told the defendant was driving a van which pulled out into the path of a lorry on the Station Road close to where the road crosses a bridge over the A26 dual-carriageway.

A prosecutor said the lorry had to "take evasive action and unfortunately as a result went down onto the dual-carriageway".

The lorry went down an embankment and ended up across the two lanes of the northbound section of the dual-carriageway.

A defence lawyer said the defendant had pulled out of a junction onto the Station Road and was then intending to turn right into a park and ride car park. He was intending to drop off a passenger.

The barrister said the defendant "made a misjudgement coming out of the junction, he hasn't given the lorry enough time to be able to stop".

The lawyer said the lorry had "been doing about 53mph which is within the speed limit. I imagine the lorry driver then decides he is not going to have enough time to stop so he takes evasive action".

After the lorry crashed onto the dual-carriageway, the barrister said it was "nothing short of miraculous that one particular car wasn't t-boned. If it had been five seconds later there would have been a number of cars passing.

"It is a miracle that nobody was killed, nobody was even seriously hurt in this but for the grace of God.

"It was a misjudgement by the defendant that caused it, he accepts that".

The defendant had been working that day and was returning from Newtownards where he had installed an alarm system.

He has been driving for 40 years with an entirely clear licence and "never had so much as a penalty point".

He drives 30,000 miles a year and is "normally a very careful and competent driver" but "he obviously wasn't on this occasion. It was a momentary misjudgement by him that thankfully didn't have any disastrous consequences, as bad as they were".

The lawyer said the employer's insurance is "covering all the damage that was caused and any personal injuries".

District Judge Nigel Brodeick said:

"The fact that eh pulled out in front of a lorry was probably the worst thing he could have done because these are large articulated vehicles. They are not small cars that are easily manoeuvred and then you take the consequences when you put a vehicle like that in jeopardy of either crashing or taking evasive action".

He said he would take into account the 40 year clear record but told the defendant:

"It is a miracle that no one was killed in this incident, not just on the road that you were on but also when the lorry went down the bank onto the dual-carriageway. That could so easily have caused serious if not fatal injuries.

"Thankfully none of that transpired. It is probably there but for the grace of God".

"Taking all factors into consideration," the judge said he was handing down nine penalty points and a £500 fine.