A lorry driver has been sentenced to a decade in prison after a catastrophic motorway collision claimed the lives of two Ryanair pilots and left their taxi driver with serious injuries.
The Fatal Collision on the M62
The tragedy unfolded on the westbound carriageway of the M62 near Warrington, Cheshire, at 5.31am on July 11 last year. Captain Matthew Greenhalgh, 28, and Senior First Officer Jamie Fernandes, 24, were passengers in a taxi travelling to Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport. The road, where the normal speed limit is 70mph, was under a 40mph advisory limit due to queuing traffic caused by an earlier collision and a carriageway closure further ahead.
In 'torrential rain and spray', taxi driver Rashid Mehmood had stopped behind a lorry at the rear of the traffic queue. Despite the conditions and reduced speed advisory, Anthony Burns, 63, was driving his Scania 44-tonne lorry at 56mph. The court heard he is estimated to have struck the stationary taxi at approximately 50mph, braking just one second before impact.
Devastating Aftermath and Miraculous Survival
The force of the collision 'crushed' the taxi between the two lorries, causing what prosecutors described as 'devastating crush damage on all sides'. The impact rotated the vehicle 180 degrees on the motorway. Both pilots, who had fallen asleep during the journey, suffered traumatic head injuries and other multiple injuries described as unsurvivable. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
In what was termed a 'miraculous' survival, taxi driver Rashid Mehmood was found conscious in the wreckage despite sustaining broken ribs and a broken shoulder. A police officer at the scene reported hearing a voice shouting for help before seeing a hand and then a head appear from the debris. Mr Mehmood was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Sentencing and Tributes
Appearing at Liverpool Crown Court, Anthony Burns pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Sentencing him to 10 years in prison, Judge Simon Medland KC stated Burns had 'shown a lack of attention for a substantial period of time'. The court heard Burns was not on his phone or under the influence of drink or drugs, with another driver speculating it was 'as if he had fallen asleep'.
The judge extended his sympathy to the families of the victims. In tributes, Mr Greenhalgh's family described a loving husband and passionate pilot who had married his wife Hannah in Las Vegas just three months before the tragedy. Mr Fernandes’ family said their son was 'living his best life' and had fulfilled his childhood dream of flying.
Following the crash, Ryanair announced it would erect a memorial plaque at its East Midlands Training Centre and establish an annual award in the pilots' names for the top-performing cadet.
