Driver jailed for serious collision on M11 near Harlow

A LORRY driver who denied he was too tired to drive, has been jailed for 28 months for causing a motorway collision in which a man sustained multiple life changing injuries.

Shortly before 10pm on Wednesday 13 February 2019, Roads Policing officers were called to a three-vehicle collision that occurred between junctions 8 and 7 on the M11, southbound, near Harlow.

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.

Ivan Zhyhan was driving an articulated lorry and was travelling at 45mph 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 that.

Ivan Zhyhan was arrested at the scene.

During interview, he claimed he didn’t see the van until he was around 20 metres away from it despite other vehicles travelling slowly and the van’s hazard lights illuminated.

Following an investigation by our Serious Collision Investigation Unit, Ivan Zhyhan, 50 formerly of St Chads Road, Tilbury, was summonsed to appear at Basildon Magistrates’ Court on 15 October 2020 to answer a charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He denied the charge and stood trial at Basildon Crown Court commencing Monday 24 April. At the conclusion of the seven-day trial, a jury found him guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and he was remanded in custody.

On Thursday 29 June, at the same court, Ivan Zhyhan was sentenced to two years and four months imprisonment and disqualified for three years and extended to reset his test.

PC Alan Marks, investigating, 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, and included 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.

“The collision was completely preventable if he had only stopped at the services at junction 8 and rested.”Last year, 48 people died in collisions in Essex.

Operation Vision Zero is our ambition to have no road deaths in Essex by 2040 or sooner by tackling the offences that contribute to killed or seriously injured collisions – speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, being distracted by mobile phones or drink or drug driving.

To take the Vision Zero Pledge and find out how you can play your part in keeping our roads safe, visit the Safer Essex Roads Partnership.