Husband killed in lorry crash ‘sacrificed himself to save his wife’
The husband who died in the truck accident “sacrificed his life” to save his wife, his family said.
David Lalgee, 64, died when his car was hit by a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) with a flat tyre, on the M60.
The much-loved church pastor and former police officer was driving with his wife Jo when the fatal collision occurred.
The inquest heard the lorry experienced an “uncontrollable sway” to the right after suffering a flat tyre, and “slid” over clockwise carriages on the motorway near Swinton, Salford, before crashing through a metal central reservation barrier and crashing into oncoming traffic.
The grandfather of nine suffered “catastrophic and irreparable” injuries and later died in hospital. Manchester Evening News reported.
In a statement made through the police after the incident in March, his family said that he saved his wife’s life by turning the steering wheel when he saw the truck approaching and that he took the brunt of the crash.
“In his final moments, David did what he always did; he put others before himself,” they said.
“With incredible courage, he protected his wife Jo and positioned himself between her and the truck passing the central containment area. He took the full blow and sacrificed his life to save the woman he loved.”
Born in Scunthorpe, Mr Lalgee lived in Mossley, Tameside, with his wife Jo. The inquest heard the couple planned to move to Blackpool, where Mr Lalgee was a vicar at an evangelical church.
They were on their way home from town when the accident occurred.
‘Pillar of love and support’
Mr Lalgee’s family described him as “a pillar of love and support for so many”.
Coroner Michael Pemberton ruled that “no criminal conduct in terms of driving standards” had occurred.
The crash was said to be “completely inevitable” due to a flat tire.
The Volvo tractor unit with a full trailer was being driven back to Morecambe from Immingham, near Lincolnshire, by Tracy Carradice.
Giving evidence, Ms Carradice, an experienced HGV driver, told Bolton Coroner’s Court it was a regular route she drove “every day for eight years”.
He said he heard a “big bang” and the carriage “fell violently to the right.”
“I was standing on the brakes and struggling to keep the steering wheel straight,” he told the inquest, adding that there was nothing he could have done or should have done differently.
A police forensic crash examiner also found “nothing attributable to the explosion,” such as a bulge in the tire, a nail or a “foreign object,” the investigation said. As a result, it is unknown why the tire failed.
In a statement read to the inquest, Mrs Laglee described her husband as “charismatic, loving and giving”. “His passing was a great loss for many people,” he added.
The medical cause of death was stated as “multiple traumatic injuries consistent with a traffic collision.”
Mr Pemberton said he was “personally affected” by the incident as he had traveled the same route just 20 minutes earlier and heard about the collision later.
After recording the conclusion that Mr Lalgee had died as a result of a road accident, he addressed the family: “This is an absolutely tragic incident and the loss of David will be felt forever. It is clear that he was a much-loved father, grandfather and husband who made a huge contribution to society.”
