10 year prison sentence for Polish lorry driver who killed 4 people while driving and using his mobile phone

A very, very sad story.

30 year old Tomasz Kroker was today sentenced to 10 years in prison on 4 counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

Kroker killed 45 year old Tracy Houghton, both her sons, and her partner's daughter when he smashed into the back of their stationary vehicle on the A34 near Newbury in Berkshire. Three other people were also injured in the ensuing pile-up, one having sustained a broken back and collapsed lung.

At the time Kroker had been scrolling through music selections on his mobile phone. The court heard that he had been so distracted, he had barely looked at the road for almost a kilometre.

The court also heard that one hour before the accident, Kroker had signed a declaration to his employer stating that he wouldn't use his mobile phone while driving.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-37823457

I suggest him to use time to read books, eventually finish additional schools, play some sport and keep his mind and body healthy.

It is a shocking story Chemi. I honestly think that people who passed their tests in Poland should not be allowed on UK roads.

Cleary an irresponsible moron. Stupidity written all over his face. Ten years only?

I was going to say about his stupid cocky face....

And vice versa? That would be just stupid.


Should be 10 years for each life.

It is anybody guess in which country he passed his tests.

My condolences to families. Tragedy

I know it would Wulkan, really it was a silly thing to say.
but in general, Polish driving is atrocious. this has to be the worst one yet, but there are always stories about some idiot from Poland eg driving the wrong way down a motorway or whatever.

If I am driving and come across Polish plates, I hang right back or take a detour. Sadly this woman and her children did not have a chance.

Indeed, because he wasn't using his phone due to passing his test in Poland, he was doing it because he's a fecking idiot.

yes true.
But there just seems to be this 'dont give a feck'ness' about Polish drivers.

Sadly so very true, we are into all saints weekend holiday at the moment , so many people die here on their way to pay their respects to the dead, horrible situation, the Police try and do their best but sadly many will die, I will post the toll, I just hope it won't be as shocking as the last few years.

One of the worst I have read about tbh


No way is it long enough, and I very much doubt he will serve that either. From other reports I've read he also got a 7 year driving ban. Personally, I don't feel he should be allowed back behind the wheel at all.


I have to say I am inclined to agree with you on this. I've witnessed enough near misses in Poland, apart from what I've seen on British roads. Impatience seems to be more of a factor than anything.


None at all, and The Guardian are reporting that he tried to lie his way out of it by saying his brakes had failed:-

" But he also tried to claim his brakes had failed, telling officers the traffic in front of him "just stopped - I hit my brakes but just couldn't stop". When he was asked by his company the following day whether he had been distracted, he said: "Had radio on. Not tuning it. Not on phone."

He refused to answer questions when interviewed by police, but when he was eventually shown the footage from his lorry's dashcam he admitted he had been distracted by his phone."


That will make depressing news :-(

10 years is 10 too weak and he should got a lifetime HGV driving ban.

Are you saying that British drivers never use their phone while driving?? This is unfortunately a habit seen in every country and punishment should be much harsher for people caught phoning/texting and driving. They could for example be banned from driving and also from having a mobile phone for a period of time.


Or rather impulsivity which is unfortunately a part of many Poles' character..

I've been driving 12 years in the UK and all the accidents I had were caused by British drivers. Some enter a roundabout and then look right just to see me coming right at them. I never wonder why the insurance premium prices are sky rocketing. Polish drivers are more skilled but the problem is that they lack the culture on the road, a lot of show offs who think that they can impress someone by driving fast.

And 40% of accidents by Brits abroad are caused by them driving on the wrong side of the road on the continent

mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/motorists-who-forget-drive-right-7608231

no they are really not, sorry, they just think they are, which is part of the problem.

No way

Scores die in road accidents around Poland
A total of 23 people have died in road accidents around Poland during a long weekend ahead of All Saints Day.
An additional 338 people were injured in 272 accidents, with 776 people detained for drunk driving, police have said.

thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/277858,Scores-die-in-road-accidents-around-Poland

The weekend is not over yet, same thing happens year upon year.

merged:Polish Lorry Driver Killed 4 only given 10 years

Disgraceful; he should be locked up for life and never let see the light of day again.

irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/lorry-driver-who-killed-family-while-using-phone-gets-10-years-1.2849455

I worked for the MOJ in the UK and the amount of Polish drivers through the courts for no insurance and drunk at the wheel was shocking. They believed that because the interpreter was Polish, that they would get them off by lying !!

Most didn't pay fines and tore up court papers in the sight of court staff all the time, including me and then they smirked and walked off, others just went back to Poland.

This is of course a very sad story. In my experience of driving in Poland I have to say that there have been many occasions where I have seen drivers using their mobile phones whilst driving, or turning corners, or switching lanes on the motorway etc. I think that the problem is that it is not regulated strictly enough just like the fast and furious driving seen on all roads....I don't know if it is against the law in Poland to use a mobile whilst driving but if it isn't it should be. Of course it happens in other countries as well, but because I see it so often in Poland I can only assume that the police here do not see this as important enough to strictly monitor which of course they should along with crazy driving.

I am still at a loss to understand why it is so necessary for drivers to drive so close to the back of other cars at dangerous speeds....they do not seem to understand the science surrounding braking distance at high speed and how much road distance you need to stop quickly before crashing into another vehicle....complete madness. At the end of the day regulation is key to everything otherwise people will always believe they can get away with it, be it using a mobile, dangerous driving or any other illegal act.

Nonsense. I can't even count how many near misses I have seen in England by English drivers. Few of those situations make me happy I'm still alive. British drivers don't use indicating lights nor seat belts. British attitude is terrible as well. I have never been yelled at in Poland and I have never witnessed road rage. In Corby, Northamptonshire I got yelled at and forced off the crossing few times and once a driver ran over my foot simply because I was crossing and he didn't like it even when I was in the middle of road before he was even close.

liar

@smurf
Nope.

Poland among the most dangerous countries in the EU

in 2015, on Polish roads killed 2,938 people. That's 77 people per million inhabitants. It is worse in only five countries: Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia.

in the same period 1,732 were killed in the uk where the population is almost twice that of Poland

Read it here in Polish.

wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/polska-w-czolowce-wypadkow-w-ue/6yrjdc

@dolnoslask
All those countries have poor road systems and that's the reason for those accidents not poor driving skills.

Ah, I see why you're confused, I meant that your a liar becasue if you've never been shouted at in Poland then you've never driven in Poland :D :D :D


It's still possible to bribe the man that gives your car its yearly service stamp.... Polish equivalent of MOT
Polish people drive older crappier cars, thus more accidents..but it is changing thankfully
Polish men in particular are pea-brained macho idiots on the road, thus more accidents.

The problem is that the attitude of people on the roads here is 'me first' instead of it being 'we all share responsibility'
Look at Germany and it's no-speed-limit highways....peoples' attitude is 'drive safe and fast and with the proper distance', in Poland, it's 'drive fast and fúck everyone else'

Poland is far and away more dangerous than the UK to drive; the stats don't lie, it's your problem if you cannot accept them

Poor road conditions do not explain the fact that the majority of these accidents are due do excessive speed for the road conditions, I see it all the time here ,apart from the road pirates that have to overtake regardless of junctions or visibility, there seems to be a significant majority who pile into corners without braking appropriately then coming off the power mid corner or even braking thus running wide and ending on wrong side of the road on the exit,

Every time I approach a corner I expect a driver to be half way into my lane, this happens more often than not.

To be honest drivers of heavy Trucks here are much better than the car drivers.

The age or condition of a car here seems to have no bearing on the levels of stupidity or the frequent accidents I see here day to day.

Thats what I see in East Midlands.