A lorry driver has been sentenced to two years and four months in jail after causing a motorway collision that left a man with multiple life-changing injuries.
Ivan Zhyhan was driving at 45mph on the M11 near Harlow in an artic when he ploughed into the back of a stationary Renault Kangoo van in front of him, shunting the van into the rear of the stationary articulated lorry in front of it. At the time of the collision, there were matrix warning signals illuminated over the carriageway indicating that there was a lane closure ahead, resulting in queuing, stationary traffic.
Zhyhan, 50, denied he had been too tired to drive, but following a trial at Basildon Crown Court last month, he was found guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
PC Alan Marks of Essex Police said: “I want to pay tribute to the victim, who despite his very serious injuries, has supported our investigation to reach this conclusion. He sustained life-threatening injuries, hospitalising him for a month, including two skull fractures, a bleed on the brain and fractures to his neck, ribs, vertebrae and shoulder. His recovery isn’t over. Ivan Zhyhan was too tired to drive. His journey was captured by dash-cam CCTV footage from within the cab and showed how he was trying to keep himself awake – but ultimately, he failed.”
