A lorry driver who hit a bridge, causing hours of delays for thousands of drivers heading to and from Brighton and Hove, has been banned from getting back behind the wheel.
A dangerous lorry driver has been sentenced after he collided into a bridge on the A23.
The driver, Joshua Scofield was lucky that no one was seriously injured.
It is the responsibility of all motorists to safely stow or secure loads.
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— Sussex Roads Police (@SussexRoadsPol) August 22, 2022
Joshua Scofield, 30, pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving when he appeared before Brighton magistrates last week but he was convicted and sentenced to do unpaid work in the community.
Scofield, of Wells Road, Crawley, was caught on camera as he drove south towards Brighton on the A23 in November last year, David Holman, prosecuting, told magistrates.
He had failed to lower a crane to stow safely a large digger bucket on the back of his lorry which struck a bridge at Warninglid.
Sussex Police said: “That was despite an alarm system on the vehicle which warned him about the fault.
“Video footage from a vehicle travelling behind showed the digger bucket hoisted into the air as the lorry drove towards a bridge.
“The digger bucket struck the bridge and was cut off the vehicle because of the impact while Scofield continued to drive.
“The 30-year-old stopped at Bolney near by and was questioned by the police.
“Officers also found that the lorry had two defective tyres which could have blown out.”
Scofield was banned from driving for a year at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Monday 15 August – and he must take an extended retest before he is allowed to drive again.
The court ordered him to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and to pay £500 costs and a £95 victim surcharge.
PC Barry Freeman, from the Commercial Vehicle Unit, said: “The footage from the A23 is shocking.
“Scofield is extremely lucky not to have killed or seriously injured himself or another road user.
“The collision meant that the A23 had to be closed in both directions while engineers inspected the bridge to see if it was secure.
“It is the responsibility of drivers to make sure their vehicle is roadworthy and that the load has been safely secured or stowed.
“We are pleased that a dangerous driver has been taken off our roads.”
Try driving with a beep-beep-beep every second for 3 hours.
So, there was an alarm that was working and the driver willingly ignored it and drove on?
Tyres can be at their most dangerous when loaded with weight. The 1mm limit is there for appropriate grip. The tyre can keep going until it is smooth and be fine. But this is accepted to be dangerous on the basis that the tread shows you how far the tread has worn away. Once smooth, you have no idea how far to the carcass of the tyre.
Yes, that’s why he’s been prosecuted.