A lorry driver crashed into a broken down car after repeatedly looking for a podcast on his phone, narrowly avoiding hitting a family in the collision. Raymond Catterall, 44, unexpectedly approached a stationary vehicle on the inside lane and partly on the verge of the A55 near Bangor. Catterall, of Rufford Avenue, Maghull, Merseyside, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and using a mobile phone while at the wheel.
North Wales Live reported that Catterall had been travelling on the eastbound carriageway at Tal-y-Bont, near Bangor around 2 pm on May 15 last year. Following the collision, Catterall got out of his cab, sought help from a nearby house, and was later found by an officer. Initially claiming a car had “pulled out” in front of him, he later admitted guilt.
At Caernarfon Crown Court, a judge described the accident as “entirely avoidable.” Catterall, who had been driving a 7.5 tonne Mercedes Benz Atego lorry for 28 years, received an eight-month suspended jail sentence, 150 hours of unpaid work, a curfew, and a year’s disqualification from driving. This incident serves as a reminder of the dangers of distracted driving, with serious consequences for all involved.