Caerphilly crash lorry driver who blamed cough caught by dashcam

A lorry driver who claimed he drove on the unsuitable aspect of the highway as a result of a coughing match and collided with one other HGV was caught as a result of his dashcam was additionally recording audio.

Footage from Marius Korkoz's cab confirmed him driving the unsuitable manner on a Caerphilly industrial property for about 20 seconds, earlier than he collided with a truck pushed by native man Gary Rees, who later died.

Korkosz, who was driving for a Polish haulage firm, didn’t notice the sound his digital camera recorded, however nonetheless insisted he ought to have captured the violent coughing that brought on him to “black out” and turn into disoriented.

A police investigation, filmed for BBC sequence The Crash DetectivesDiscovered moments earlier than influence, he might solely be heard swearing, and he was jailed for 20 weeks.

Dean Burnett, forensic collision investigator for Gwent Police, stated the collision between the 2 heavy items autos was “very large”, with a mixed influence pace of round 45 mph (72 km/h).

He added: “It is effectively like one or both vehicles driving into a brick wall.

“A brick wall that doesn't collapse. They both stopped at the point of impact, such was the magnitude of the impact.”

Father-of-two Mr Rees, aged 55, had to be amputated from the cab of his lorry after the crash in July 2022.

He was treated for head and leg injuries as well as broken fingers.

Described as a “giant character” and a “legend” in his home town of Caerphilly, where he also worked as a doorman, he appeared to be recovering from his injuries, but died three weeks later.

Mr Rees's heartbroken family said he was a wonderful driver, loved lorries and had never had an accident in 30 years of driving.

Hours after the collision, he told wife Hayley Rees, 44, he “had no chance”.

She told how her husband had tried to move out of the way, but there were trees in the way.

“She said, 'I turned the lorry as far as I could, I just put my hands in front of my face and I don't remember anything else',” Mrs Rees said.

“And that's probably all Gary has to say about it.”

But dash cameras in both vehicles were recording, and analysis showed that as soon as the Polish-registered truck appeared around the left-hand turn, heading straight toward him, he reacted immediately.

Hazard warning lights could be seen flashing – indicating Mr Rees was applying the emergency brakes, with associated locked wheel marks found on the road surface at the scene of the collision.

His hand was on the top of the steering wheel as he swerved to the left in a desperate attempt to avoid a collision.

But this evasive action was in stark contrast to the driver who was on the wrong side of the road.

Korkosz, 46, told police he had been feeling unwell during the trip to Wales, but had continued with his deliveries at Pennyfan Industrial Estate.

He described having a bout of intense coughing before heading back towards the main road.

While his dashcam captured the sounds of the engine, sat nav and ticking indicators, there was no cough to be heard – a barrage of abuse as he realized a collision was about to occur.

Despite his injuries, Mr Rees held no grudges, but rather felt compassion for a man of the same profession.

Mrs Rees said: “Gary told me he didn’t do it on purpose, and he didn’t want to go to jail.

“The police told him he had a family and some kids, and I remember him saying 'What about them? They don't know where their dad is, he might be in prison in the UK, and I don't think he speaks English, that wouldn't be very good'.”

Korkoz maintained his story but admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was sent to prison for 20 weeks.

Mrs Rees said: “I remember telling Gary the driver had been sentenced and he went really quiet.

“He was really upset, he had tears in his eyes, he said 'I need to lie down', and he went and lay down, and stayed there for a couple of hours.

“And he won't talk about it.”

Three weeks and three days after the collision, Mr Rees collapsed at home and died.

Three years later, his sons Macaulay and George recall how his funeral brought Caerphilly to a standstill – in a farewell that could not have been more fitting for such a beloved man who was fond of rugby and lorry driving.

While Mrs. Rees was at first reluctant to have her coffin transported in the back of an American truck, 22-year-old George quickly convinced her that it would be what Gary would want.

This led to a procession of several other lorries as people lined the streets to pay their respects.

Macaulay, 30, said his father's popularity meant there was not enough space anywhere locally to accommodate his funeral – so he turned to Bedwas Rugby Club instead.

He said: “We couldn't just put it in a normal place, we had to actually put it on a rugby field.

“It depended on the weather, but it turned out to be the hottest day of the year.

“It shows what a great character he was when he was on the rugby field.”

A coroner concluded that Mr Rees died on account of issues from accidents sustained within the accident.

But no additional motion was taken in opposition to Korkoz, who had already served his sentence and was exiled.

The full investigation will be seen on Crash Detectives: Silent Witness at 19:00 GMT, Wednesday, 5 November on BBC One Wales, BBC Two England and BBC iPlayer.