Driver jailed after unsecured trailer load caused death near Helston

A driver whose failure to secure a heavy drilling rig properly resulted in the death of a 34 year old woman has been jailed for five years and four months.

Court heard driver used a single worn strap

Liam Smith, 35, from Roselidden Park in Helston, appeared at Truro Crown Court on Wednesday 10th December after previously pleading guilty to causing the death of Jessica Allman by dangerous driving. He was also disqualified from driving and will need to take an extended re-test if he wants to regain his licence.

The court was told that on 19th July 2022, Liam was in Newquay when he loaded a Beretta T24 hydraulic drilling rig onto a two axel Bateson platform trailer attached to a white Ford Ranger belonging to his employer. Although assisted by a colleague, it was Liam’s responsibility to secure the load.

He used a single ratchet strap over the mast of the drilling rig, attaching it to welded eyelets on the trailer. CCTV later captured the Ford Ranger at Callestick and on the A30 with that single strap still visible.

But at around 1pm Liam stopped at Macsalvors in Redruth and failed to check the load before leaving. CCTV from the car park showed the vehicle, trailer and drilling rig, but crucially no ratchet strap was visible at that point.

Drilling rig fell into oncoming traffic

Liam continued on the B3297 towards Helston, entering Burras at around 1.30pm. Travelling in the opposite direction was Jessica, from Newquay, in her grey Fiat Punto. She worked as a Young People Adviser, supporting good mental health through personal development, education and employment. Jessica had just left Costa Coffee in Helston and was driving to her next work appointment in Pool.

As Liam attempted to negotiate a left-hand bend, the unsecured drilling rig became unstable and fell from the offside of the trailer. It struck Jessica’s Fiat Punto, causing catastrophic unsurvivable injuries. The Ford Ranger and trailer continued a short distance before coming to a stop.

Emergency services arrived and investigators found an old and worn ratchet strap broken into two pieces. They also found an additional seven straps available to Liam, which he had not used. Several webbing straps were in an advanced state of wear and should have been discarded long before the collision. There was evidence of poor practice by Liam in how the straps had been fixed.

When weighed, the Ford Ranger, trailer and drilling rig were found to be over the combined weight restrictions, something investigators said contributed to instability when cornering.

📷Jessica Allman

Serious Collisions Investigation Team statement

DC Helen Lentern, from the Serious Collisions Investigation Team, said:

“This collision was the culmination of Smith’s wholesale disregard of the security of the load and safety of other road users.

“If an adequate number of lashings had been used in conjunction with blocking, then the failure of a single strap should not have results in load movement.

“The single strap used by Smith was in an advance state of wear and should have been discarded long before this collision.

“Since May 2022, it has been a requirement in the Categorisation of Vehicle Defects to secure heavy plant through a combination of loading or packing to a bulkhead and a minimum of four direct lashings.

“This collision was entirely preventable and Jessica Allman was a blameless member of the public.

“Jessica had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time as she went about her working day. Nothing will ever bring Jessica back but we hope her family are now able to feel some closure following the conclusion of the case”.

📷Liam Smith