Driver tells court fatal M4 crash would not have happened had he been 'forewarned'
Broken road signs failed to warn drivers of the stationary vehicle
A van driver who crashed into a broken-down car on a smart motorway near Reading has told a court the fatal collision "wouldn't have happened" if he had been "forewarned."
Barry O'Sullivan, 45, was driving a grey Ford work van along the M4 on March 7 2022 when he collided with a Nissan Micra that had come to a halt in the outside lane of the motorway.
Road signs failed to warn drivers of the stationary vehicle.
The collision - which took place during the morning rush hour on the M4 westbound between junctions 11 and 12 - caused both vehicles to propel forward, with the Nissan bursting into flames.
Pulvinder Dhillon, who was a passenger in the Nissan, suffered fatal injuries.
At Reading Crown Court today, O'Sullivan told jurors that he was regularly checking his mirrors and was "paying attention" on the day of the collision.
The motorist said: "I checked my mirrors, there was no hazard in my mirrors that I was aware of but then, before I knew it, I was involved in a collision."
He said that when he saw the vehicle, he "didn't perceive it to be a hazard" and "perceived" it "to be moving".
He said: "All of a sudden I realised I'm gaining on this vehicle really fast, then I went to slam the brakes on and then before I knew it the collision happened."
O'Sullivan told the court that he "drove that day the same as I've driven every day before and every day since and that was with care".
He said: "If I had been forewarned, the collision wouldn't have happened."
The motorist said he believed that if he had not hit the car, then somebody else would have.
"I believe I drove with reasonable care like most people but unfortunately I didn't avoid the collision and hit the vehicle and for that I'm eternally sorry," he said.
O'Sullivan said he "was in a lot of pain and quite a bad condition" when he first spoke to police after the incident.
He said in his "mind", he hit his brakes but added that the "scientific evidence says otherwise".
O'Sullivan, who suffered multiple injuries in the collision, was not wearing a seat belt at the time and told the court he would "pay the price of that for the rest of my life".
He said that on a "conventional motorway", motorists could move into the hard shoulder.
"Whereas you don't have that luxury on a smart motorway, so you're trapped to some extent and you're reliant on back-up systems which then alert the public behind you if you have trouble," he said.
O'Sullivan said he had "never" encountered a stationary vehicle on the motorway, adding: "I have seen plenty of broken-down vehicles on the hard shoulder and often with a recovery vehicle."
Jurors also heard evidence from Darren White, who was driving his BMW X1 to Swindon on the day of the collision.
He said he called the police immediately after noticing the stranded vehicle and recalled being "quite hysterical" on the phone.
Recalling his conversation with the officer, he said: "I do remember saying to him, 'please put the overhead gantries on'."
The motorist said he was asked about the colour of the car and whether there were any passengers.
"They asked me what lane, and at that point I was answering him, but I was repeatedly saying to him 'please get the overhead gantries on'," he said.
O'Sullivan, of Wixams, near Bedford, has pleaded not guilty to one count of causing death by careless driving.
The trial continues.