Watch: Lorry crashes into horsebox on M1 in Northamptonshire

Video captured the moment a lorry clipped a van, overturned and crashed into a broken-down horsebox, killing the animal inside.

The lorry driver failed to move out of lane one of the northbound M1 in Northamptonshire.

Northamptonshire Police, external[1] said the overhead gantry showed the lane had been closed when the collision happened at about 18:30 BST on 17 July last year.

The first part of the video, issued by police, shows mirror-image footage shot from the back of a National Highways, external[2] van that was parked behind the horsebox with warning lights flashing.

The mirror-imaging makes it appear as if all traffic is on the wrong side of the road.

The second part has non-mirrored footage shot from the front of the National Highways van that shows the lorry clipping it as it goes past, overturning and hitting the horsebox.

Nicholas Cole, 47, of Harrison Road, in Stourbridge in the West Midlands, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at Northampton Magistrates’ Court in February.

He was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court to 42 weeks in jail and disqualified from driving for 21 months.

Sgt Richard Hill from the Roads Policing Team called it a “shocking collision”.

“It’s a stark example of how important it is to keep your focus on the road when you’re driving and to ensure you read the gantry signs displayed on the motorway,” he said.

“Cole would have had plenty of time to see the red X and yet still caused this collision.”

The driver and passengers in the horsebox were already at the side of the road, and were unhurt.

References

1. ^ Northamptonshire Police, external (www.northants.police.uk)
2. ^ National Highways, external (nationalhighways.co.uk)