Prison for drunk HGV driver who drove on wrong side of the road

An HGV driver who caused a head-on collision while intoxicated has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.

Stanislaw Michalski, from Tuchowicz, Poland, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving after his truck, which was travelling on the wrong side of the road,  hit a car near Winsford, Cheshire, on 19 June.

The car was thrown off the carriageway and its driver sustained life-changing injuries. She remains in hospital and is unable to walk.

Michalski failed to stop after the collision and continued to drive on the wrong side of the road until he was flagged down by a passing motorist, who called the police.

He gave a blood alcohol reading of 78mg per 100ml – more than double the legal limit of 35mg.

Michalski was sentenced to 32 months in prison at Chester Crown Court on 26 July. He was also banned from driving for five and a half years and will have to take an extended driving test in order to regain his licence.

Sergeant Paul Marsh from Cheshire Police described Michalski’s actions as “totally deplorable”.

He said: “Michalski only admitted he may have been involved in the crash when he was shown graphic images of the extensive damage to the front of his vehicle. Throughout questioning he had no recollection of the collision itself, nor could he account for why he was driving on the wrong side of the road – stating that he may ‘possibly’ have been asleep at the wheel.”