Lorry driver on cocaine smashed into car and killed dad-of-two
A trucker binged on cocaine before climbing behind the wheel of a 7.5-tonne lorry and killing a beloved dad in a horror smash.
Bradley Simmonds failed to take evasive action when his skip lorry ploughed into the back of Luc Brou’s Peugeot in Thanet, causing the car to “explode into the air”.
Mr Brou’s heartbroken partner told of the despair she and her children faced since that fateful day, when he “left for work and never returned.”
Simmonds, 39, was locked up for four-and-a-half years at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday, where the case’s tragic details were laid down.
Mr Brou, a father-of-two, is understood to have broken down[1] on the outside lane of the A299 Thanet Way, near St Nicholas-as-Wade[2], at 1,40pm on August 16, 2021.
Having consumed a large amount of cocaine in the days before the crash, Simmonds’ white DAF skip loader smashed into the back of Mr Brou’s vehicle causing devastating injuries.
Relaying an eye-witness account, prosecutor Martin Yale said: “I was in the inside lane and I could see the lorry approaching the stationary car and I hoped no one was inside it.
“It smashed into the back of the car and the car exploded into the air, sending dust and debris flying.
“The driver of the skip lorry must have had 100 yards or more to see the car, but he just didn’t react - I kept wondering why the lorry didn’t pull out or brake, he must have been distracted.”
Mr Brou, a French national who lived in Sidcup aged in his 50s, sustained fatal injuries which doctors said were unsurvivable even with immediate care from expert surgeons.
Simmonds, of Oaklands Close, Sevenoaks[3], initially claimed the car had come across in front of him, but his account proved inconsistent with dash-cam footage.
The 49-year-old initially denied causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drugs, but later changed his plea to guilty.
Although he did not have any active ingredients of cocaine in his system at the time of the collision, he had more than 11 times the legal limit of benzoylecgonine - the drug’s breakdown by-product.
Backed up by evidence from a medical expert, Mr Yale argued the Simmonds was experiencing withdrawal effects, which impaired his ability to drive.
“If a person binges on cocaine, when they stop using it, they can have a come-down crash such that they experience exhaustion, drowsiness and poor concentration,” said Mr Yale.
“The absence of any evasive action are clearly indicative of Mr Simmonds experiencing a come-down crash.”
Mitigating, Philippa McAtasney KC said her client had admitted to taking cocaine on the Friday before the offence but had failed to consider it might still affect his ability to drive three days later.
“Mr Simmonds did not expect the vehicle to be stationary on the road. He tragically failed to see the Peugeot until it was too late and he is genuinely remorseful,” said Ms McAtasney.
“He has the sole care of his elderly mother and six dependent children who range in age from 3 to 16.
“Those children are of course all innocent and the impact upon all of them would be significant should he receive an immediate term of imprisonment.”
The court also heard a victim impact statement from Brou's widow, Chandon Lolo, which described the despair both she and her children have faced since the tragic loss.
“He simply went to work one day and never returned and it breaks our hearts on a daily basis,” said Ms Lolo.
“He simply went to work one day and never returned and it breaks our hearts on a daily basis...”
“It doesn’t get easier, even two years on - you just learn to cope.
“Whenever he got home from work he would light up the room, he was such a family man, but since the accident our home address hasn’t felt like a home.”
“Even though he is no longer with us, Luc still lives on. We hope that justice will be done and that our husband/dad will rest in peace.
Judge Mark Weekes jailed Simmonds for four and a half years and banned him from driving or applying for a new license for eight years and three months.
“Mr Simmonds, you have five previous convictions for related offences, including having been sentenced in September 2023 for the possession of cocaine while you were on bail for this offence in which cocaine played a role.
“You chose to get behind the wheel of a lorry in the course of your employment and that decision was to have catastrophic consequences.
“Your actions have resulted in the needless and tragic death of a much-loved husband and father.
“All drivers need to be aware of the need not to drive tired, and you as the driver of a large, potentially dangerous vehicle should have been all the more aware.”
References
- ^ understood to have broken down (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ St Nicholas-as-Wade (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ Sevenoaks (www.kentonline.co.uk)