Ethan Burdett’s lorry was laden with flooring and he hit the brakes just one second before he collided with the minibus and a Ford Mondeo (Picture: PA/Central News)
A lorry driver has admitted to causing the deaths of four minibus passengers due to careless driving when they were returning to their London hostel after a day out.
Ethan Burdett, 67, was approaching the exit slip road to junction 26 of the M25, near Waltham Abbey, when he slammed his DAF truck into the back of the minibus on August 23, 2021.
The passengers were returning to their hostel in Walthamstow, east London after spending a day at the beach in Southend, Essex.
Hostel manager Jennifer Smith, 59, and residents Abigael Muamba, 31, Dexter Augustus, 60, died at the scene.
Lisa Gardiner, 44, was taken to hospital but later died of her injuries.
Three other people were also seriously injured and the M25 was closed for 11 hours after the crash.
Burdett’s lorry was laden with flooring and he hit the brakes just one second before he collided with the minibus and a Ford Mondeo.
Essex Police handout photo of (top, left to right) Lisa Gardiner, 44, and Dexter Augustus, 60, and (bottom, left to right) Jennifer Smith, 59, and Abigael Muamba, 31 (Picture: Essex Police/PA)
He admitted causing the deaths of four people due to careless driving at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Judge Timothy Godfrey told Burdett: ‘As you approached the junction there is clear evidence that a sign 1.6 miles from the collision warned oncoming traffic there was queuing traffic.
‘You did not at any stage moderate your speed…somewhere between 56 and 58mph.
‘You lifted your foot from the accelarator one second before the collision
‘There was no evidence you braked or sought to manouvre your vehicle away from the collision in front of you.
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‘As a result of the collision four passengers from the minibus died.’
The judge added that no sentence he could pass could compensate the grieving relatives of the victims.
Burdett was jailed for three years and disqualified for four and a half years.
He will also have to re-take his test if he ever wants to drive again.
In a victim impact statement Jennifer Smith’s daughter Nicola Elliott told the court: ‘My mother was not a victim in her life and no matter what happened she was a fighter.
‘My true feelings can never be put into words.
‘The loss of my mother has left an indescribable void in my life which cannot be filled.
‘The impact of her loss expands far beyond my own sorrow.
Ethan Burdett’s lorry was laden with flooring and he hit the brakes just one second before he collided with the minibus and a Ford Mondeo (Picture: Central News)
‘She will never see the grandchildren who she doted on grow up and graduate …read more
Source:: Metro
