Careless driver avoids jail after killing Cannock man in A5 crash
A driver who killed a man whose car had broken down on the A5 has been spared jail.
Christopher Collins, 44, was convicted of causing the death of Cannock man Robert Pratt by careless driving in a crash that happened in February last year.
Collins, from Milton Avenue, Tamworth, was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, at Stafford Crown Court.
Mr Pratt, 64, was driving a silver Ford Focus when it broke down in the first lane of the eastbound A5 in Lichfield on February 22.
The Focus was not illuminated because of a flat battery, Staffordshire Police said.
Collins, who was driving a white Mercedes sprinter van, crashed into the back of the stationary Focus at 7.50pm.
Despite the best efforts of medical staff, Mr Pratt was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Evidence suggested that Collins had been driving above the speed limit in the lead up to the crash and had been using a device mounted on the windshield. Collins first pleaded not guilty but then changed his plea to guilty before the trial was about to get underway.
Collins was banned from driving for two years and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £1,700.
Sergeant Richard Moors, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Staffordshire Police, said: "This is another case of a driver disregarding the speed limit of our roads and not considering the safety of motorists around them.
"I would strongly encourage drivers to observe the speed limits and pay attention during adverse conditions, especially when driving in darkened areas."
