Driver 'fell asleep at wheel' before crash that killed father as he loaded children into car
A postman who caused the death of a father-of-eight by careless driving must have dozed off at the wheel before the crash, a court heard.
Postman Sajid Hussain, aged 36, was at the wheel of a red Volkswagen Polo that struck David Hinton who had been putting his young children into his green Peugeot 206.
The 47-year-old was tended to by passers-by until paramedics reached the scene in Oakham Road, Dudley near to its junction with Tansley Hill Road on June 20 last year.
Hussain was today handed an eight-month jail term suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
He was also banned from driving for three years and Judge James Burbidge QC ruled he should carry out an extended re-test before he can get behind the wheel again.
He told the court that 'the only conclusion' for Hussain veering into Mr Hinton's parked car was 'that he must have dozed off'.
Hussain, of Blackacre Road, Dudley, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving when he appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court last month.
PC Stuart Allen, from West Midlands Police, said shortly after the incident: "Mr Hinton's family have been left devastated by their loss and are understandably at the very early stages in the grieving process.
"Our thoughts are with them at this very difficult time."
Kyra Thomas, aged 42, who was among those who tried to help the family, said at the time: "It's heartbreaking.
"I can't get it out of my head, it's not something you expect to happen. It's horrendous for everybody. It was a daily thing – just getting in the car."
