Lorry driver sentenced for killing biker in crash

A lorry driver who killed a motorcyclist in a crash has been given a nine-month prison term, suspended for two years.

Rowan Day, 63, died after a truck driven by Alan Howe, 55, jackknifed in front of him on the A151 Corby Road at Grimsthorpe, on 3 November 2022.

Mr Day, who had been travelling home to the Grantham area from work, was unable to avoid the lorry and died at the scene, Lincolnshire Police said.

Howe, of Thorn Close, Soham, Cambridgeshire, pleaded guilty to a charge of causing death by careless driving part way through a trial at Lincoln Crown Court, last week.

He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £1000.

Police said the crash happened after Howe attempted to prevent his lorry falling into the nearside ditch after he had negotiated a left-hand bend.

This led to the lorry jackknifing across both lanes, leaving Mr Day, who was riding his black BMW motorcycle, "very little, or no time to react".

Tachograph data showed the lorry had been travelling at about 30mph (48km/h) as it left the road.

Witnesses also described how, prior to the collision, the lorry was being driven in a safe and considerate manner, a police spokesperson said.

In a tribute, Mr Day's family described him as "a much-loved husband, father and grandfather".

"No one can truly understand the emotional struggle this has ever caused having lost a singular true soul mate, the father to a loving son and grandad to a beautiful baby granddaughter. Life can and will never be the same for any of the family," it said.

His wife of 40 years, Claire, said losing her husband had been the saddest most upsetting event she had ever experienced.

"The world is very much a worse place without him, and it has lost a true gent of a man who is irreplaceable in so many ways," she said.

"Rowan died needlessly and tragically whilst doing what he loved so much," she added.

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.