Van driver claims smart motorway showed no warning before fatal M4 crash
Barry O'Sullivan tells police he saw “no indication of anything untoward” on gantries before colliding with a stationary car that killed passenger
Last updated 4th Feb 2026
A van driver who crashed into a stationary car in the fast lane of a section of smart motorway told police there was "no indication of anything untoward" on the gantries on the day of the fatal collision.
Barry O'Sullivan, 45, was driving a grey Ford Transit Connect work van along the M4 during the morning rush hour on March 7 2022 when he collided with a Nissan Micra that had come to a halt in the outside lane of the motorway.
The collision - which took place 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.
Video footage released on Wednesday shows the moment the van travels towards and makes contact with the rear end of the Nissan, which had been stationary for around six minutes by that point.
At Reading Crown Court, jurors heard a transcript from a police interview between O'Sullivan and an officer which took place in August 2022 at Milton Keynes police station.
O'Sullivan told the officer he set off from his home at around 6am on the day of the collision.
He said he felt "fresh" and "intently alert" that morning, adding he was regularly checking his mirrors and had been "trained" through his life to be "vigilant" and "assess the road ahead" when driving.
O'Sullivan told the officer he was "well aware" of the section of motorway where the collision took place as he had travelled down it "many times".
He told the officer: "There was no indication of anything untoward on the matrix boards or the gantries or anything like that."
O'Sullivan said he saw a vehicle in front of him which he "perceived to be moving with the flow of traffic", adding there were no hazard lights on and no doors open.
"When I realised the vehicle was stationary, I immediately hit the brakes, but unfortunately I couldn't avoid the collision and unfortunately we collided," he told the officer.
O'Sullivan said his van "came to a stop" after the impact and when he opened the door and tried to leave the vehicle, he realised he could not feel his legs.
He was taken to Reading hospital but his injuries were severe and the decision was made to send him to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
O'Sullivan spent about three months in hospital, he told the police.
On Wednesday, jurors also heard evidence from Martin Jones, who was driving along the M4 on the morning of the collision.
Jurors heard Mr Jones had previously had several interactions with National Highways and others about the operation of the smart motorway.
In relation to the day of the collision, he said: "At that point I had probably about a dozen or so interactions with National Highways about problems I had encountered."
Mr Jones said this included "vehicles being stationary and there being no warnings about it".
The motorist said these interactions culminated in a meeting with National Highways.
When asked what his concerns with the smart motorway were, he told jurors: "That I didn't want to travel along a motorway, nor my wife or any of my family, on a motorway that wasn't safe."
After noticing the stationary vehicle on the morning of March 7 2022, Mr Jones contacted the police and National Highways.
The motorist said the events of that day are "not a comfortable thing to be reminded about".
He added: "But it's something that I'm reminded of on a regular basis because I still drive that stretch of motorway."
Jurors were previously told that on the day of the collision, the smart motorway was not functioning, and "wasn't showing messages about any obstructions in the road ahead".
O'Sullivan, of Wixams, near Bedford, has pleaded not guilty to one count of causing death by careless driving.
The trial continues.