Driver who looked down to search for cigarette killed elderly man in motorway pile-up
The driver who caused a fatal traffic accident on the highway was sentenced to prison after admitting that he was distracted while looking for a cigarette.
The collision, which occurred shortly before 10am on 22 August 2024 on the M32 near Bristol, resulted in the death of 68-year-old Michael Stone.
Jamie Nicholls, 48, crashed his van into the back of Mr Stone’s car at high speed on the Hambrook Junction 1 exit road, Hambrook, Avon and Somerset Police confirmed.
Nicholls told officers at the scene that he “looked for a cigarette for a second or two.”
When Nicholls looked back, he was unable to brake his vehicle to avoid Mr Stone’s blue Peugeot, which was stopped in the traffic queue.
The impact propelled the Peugeot into a third vehicle, triggering further collisions involving a fourth and fifth vehicle. Tragically, Mr Stone, of Longwell Green, died at the scene and several others were injured in the multi-vehicle crash.
A colleague of Mr Stone’s was a passenger in the car and suffered serious physical injuries, including seven broken ribs and a head injury.
Nicholls and another driver also required hospital treatment.
Police said last month Nicholls, of Otterhampton, near Bridgwater, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and causing serious injury by careless driving.
He was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday to 14 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, disqualified from driving for 12 months, subject to extended testing, plus a 60-day curfew, 10 days rehabilitation, victim surcharge and costs.
In a statement prepared for the court ahead of Nicholls’ sentencing, Penny Stone said she assumed she and her husband of 40 years would “have many more years to make memories together.”
She said they missed out on celebrating important family events like the birth of their first grandchild and “bucket list” holidays.
Ms Stone also described the pain of telling one of her two daughters, who was in America on their honeymoon at the time, about what had happened.
Ms Stone added: “Mike was the foundation on which our family was built.
“Now, when we gather around the table, the place where the head of the family should sit is left empty.
“With Mike around, you knew you were safe and everything was going to be okay.
“I lost my husband, my best friend, the father of my children, my rock, the person who rubbed my back when it hurt, made my morning coffee, laughed with me, wiped my tears, danced with me, loved me.
“I’m truly heartbroken and I miss him so much that he’s in physical pain. All I have left of him are my memories and this shouldn’t happen.”
“Our daughters have lost a wonderful father who would have done anything for them, regardless of their age.
“I never had the chance to say goodbye to Mike on that fateful day.
“I waved him off to work and the next time I saw him was 11 days later at the morgue.”
He added to Nicholls: “Your actions the day you got into your van changed the lives of everyone in our family forever.
“But more importantly, because of you, Mike has been denied the right to live his life.”
The officer in the case, Noelie Poupard, said: “This was a collision caused by Nicholls’ failure to concentrate on the road ahead.
“A driver who looks away from the road, even for a second, will travel a significant distance at 70 miles per hour, and as this case painfully demonstrates, the consequences can be dire.
“Poor concentration while driving is one of the five fatal causes of collisions and is completely preventable.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the devastated family of Michael Stone.
“It’s impossible not to be moved by Penny’s heartbreaking words.
“We sincerely hope drivers heed his comments and understand the importance of safe driving, as doing so will help prevent other families from going through the same pain.”
