Video: Harrogate lorry driver on the phone as he crashes into car, killing woman of 21

Dariusz Tokarczyk, of Kennion Road, Harrogate, was jailed for four-and-a-half years after pleading guilty at Reading Crown Court to causing the death by dangerous driving of Jodie Moss, from Swindon, Wiltshire, on March 22 last year.

The 47-year-old was driving his lorry on the southbound carriageway of the A34, just north of the M4 junction at Chieveley, Berkshire, when he drove into the back of Ms Moss’s Vauxhall Corsa.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: “He did not see the car in time to avoid it because he was looking at his mobile phone.

“Her car had, according to forensic examiners, suffered ‘a catastrophic engine failure’. Her car was stationary in the inside lane. She had switched on its hazard warning lights.

“According to dashcam footage, the road was not busy and other drivers are seen to manoeuvre past her vehicle. Tokarczyk’s vehicle drove straight into hers and sadly Jodie died.”

Detective Sergeant Ashley Hannibal, senior investigating officer, said: “This is a tragic case, which could have so easily been avoided. The driver was using his phone.

“Officers and forensic investigators painstakingly examined the dashcam footage from the inside of the lorry looking out onto the road.

“After watching the footage frame by frame, they managed to spot the reflection of what transpired to be the lit screen of a mobile phone held by the lorry driver.

“While this sentence will not take away the pain and feelings of loss for Jodie’s family and friends, I hope that it will send a message to all drivers about the dangers of using mobile phones.

“Sadly, this case is not an isolated incident; it is one of many that we have been or are investigating, which show the tragic and awful consequences of using a mobile phone while you are driving.”