A courier driver who killed a father-of-three in a pile-up on the M18 in Doncaster has been jailed.

Przemyslaw Anucik, 32, admitted causing the death of Shaun McMahon, 60, by dangerous driving on 6 October 2021.

Sheffield Crown Court heard on Tuesday how Anucik had been "oblivious" to stationary traffic and crashed into a taxi in which Mr McMahon had been a passenger.

Anucik, of Curlew View, Pontefract, was sentenced to three years in prison.

Stephen Grattage, prosecuting, told the court Anucik, a DPD driver at the time, had caused the four-vehicle pile-up on the M18 near Hatfield after failing to react to stationary traffic.

Mr Grattage said other drivers in the queue had activated their hazard lights, including the taxi driver who had been transporting Mr McMahon.

The court heard Mr McMahon had been on his way back from Scunthorpe after acting as a school escort for a young boy.

He suffered catastrophic injuries when Anucik's van crashed into the rear of the taxi.

Mr McMahon was taken to Northern General Hospital in Sheffield where he died the following day.

The taxi driver suffered a bleed on his brain while Anucik sustained minor injuries. Four vehicles were damaged in the collision.

Mr Grattage told the court visibility had been good at the time of the crash and the weather had been fine and dry.

There had been no traces of drugs or alcohol in Anucik's system, the court heard, and there had been no suggestion he had driven above the speed limit.

Anucik had no previous convictions and his driving record had been "good".

Dale Harris, defending, said the events of that day would stay with Anucik "forever" and said his client was "deeply remorseful".

Mr Harris said Anucik had just become a father for the second time, telling the court: "A case like this tears apart two families and causes terrible grief.

"It is perhaps self-evident to say that on 6 October 2021, never in a million years did Mr Anucik think he'd bring about the death of another individual."

On Tuesday, Anucik was sentenced to three years imprisonment and was disqualified from driving for six-and-a-half years.

Passing sentence, Judge Sarah Wright said that at the time of his death, Mr McMahon had been performing an "important and vital service as a school escort".

"He was a committed family man, a much-loved life partner, father, grandfather, brother and friend," Judge Wright told the court.

"No sentence I pass today can ever reflect the loss for his loved ones and the continuing immeasurable pain that those close to him will feel."
'Death has ripped us apart'

In a statement read out in court, Mr McMahon's common-law wife said they had been together for 43 years and had raised three daughters.

"We did everything together, holidays, shopping and visiting our daughters," the statement read.

"We were life partners, we were joined at the hip, we were inseparable."

She said she could feel the pain of losing Mr McMahon "physically in my heart" and said his death "has ripped us apart".

She added: "I miss him so much, I feel like I've lost my right arm."

Other family members described Mr McMahon as kind, gentle and "the go-to person" in times of need.

His sister said: "He was a mediator who'd keep us all together.

"Now he is gone, I feel so alone in my family and it feels disjointed without Shaun pulling us together."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-67409862

On 16/11/2023 01:17 pm, Simon Mason wrote:

> A courier driver who killed a father-of-three in a pile-up on the M18 in Doncaster has been jailed.
>
> Przemyslaw Anucik, 32, admitted causing the death of Shaun McMahon, 60, by dangerous driving on 6 October 2021.
>
> Sheffield Crown Court heard on Tuesday how Anucik had been "oblivious" to stationary traffic and crashed into a taxi in which Mr McMahon had been a passenger.

So where was Mr McMahon?

He obviously wasn't in the taxi.

Did you NEVER study the pluperfect tense at your public school, M'Lud?

Not even in connection with Latin or ancient Greek?

JNugent <jnugent@mail.com> wrote:
> On 16/11/2023 01:17 pm, Simon Mason wrote:
>
>> A courier driver who killed a father-of-three in a pile-up on the M18 in
>> Doncaster has been jailed.
>>
>> Przemyslaw Anucik, 32, admitted causing the death of Shaun McMahon, 60,
>> by dangerous driving on 6 October 2021.
>>
>> Sheffield Crown Court heard on Tuesday how Anucik had been "oblivious"
>> to stationary traffic and crashed into a taxi in which Mr McMahon had been a passenger.
>
> So where was Mr McMahon?
>
> He obviously wasn't in the taxi.

It seems he was the passenger, in the taxi.
>
> Did you NEVER study the pluperfect tense at your public school, M'Lud?
>
> Not even in connection with Latin or ancient Greek?

A strange case. No suggestion of drink/ drugs/ mobile phone use ….

Dangerous driving is a ‘catch all’, often used when no obvious reason is
known.

The obvious one is tiredness / loss of concentration but who knows.

QUOTE: Sheffield Crown Court heard on Tuesday how Anucik had been "oblivious" to stationary traffic and crashed into a taxi in which Mr McMahon had been a passenger. ENDS

Good job it wasn't some poor sod's house.

https://aseasyasridingabike.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/1939133652.jpg

https://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2015/12/26/audis-in-houses/

On 16/11/2023 04:57 pm, Brian wrote:

> JNugent <jnugent@mail.com> wrote:
>> On 16/11/2023 01:17 pm, Simon Mason wrote:
>
>>> A courier driver who killed a father-of-three in a pile-up on the M18 in
>>> Doncaster has been jailed.
>>> Przemyslaw Anucik, 32, admitted causing the death of Shaun McMahon, 60,
>>> by dangerous driving on 6 October 2021.
>>> Sheffield Crown Court heard on Tuesday how Anucik had been "oblivious"
>>> to stationary traffic and crashed into a taxi in which Mr McMahon had been a passenger.
>
>> So where was Mr McMahon?
>
>> He obviously wasn't in the taxi.
>
> It seems he was the passenger, in the taxi.

I expect he must have been. That is not, though, what the report
actually says. The phrase "had been" should have been rendered as "was".
Someone may have though that "had been" sounded kewl.

Basic literacy and grammatical skill among journos must be at an
all-time low.

Still, that one probably has a way to fall before it reaches the low
standards acceptable over at road.cc.

>> Did you NEVER study the pluperfect tense at your public school, M'Lud?
>> Not even in connection with Latin or ancient Greek?
>
> A strange case. No suggestion of drink/ drugs/ mobile phone use ….
> Dangerous driving is a ‘catch all’, often used when no obvious reason is
> known.
> The obvious one is tiredness / loss of concentration but who knows.

"pile-up on the M18" suggests a series of rear-end collisions (a
so-called "concertina crash").

Over fifty years ago now, I and a friend, on our way to work, happened
upon the aftermath of a huge concertina crash on M6 near Lymm which had
happened in fog in the early hours. From memory, several people were
killed and vehicles were crushed and/or burned. This sounds similar.

It's the sort of accident which principally happens at the front end of
the involved vehicles, with everyone praying that no more are going to
collide with the rear of the various lane-queues.

On 16/11/2023 08:23 pm, JNugent wrote:
> On 16/11/2023 04:57 pm, Brian wrote:
>
>> JNugent <jnugent@mail.com> wrote:
>>> On 16/11/2023 01:17 pm, Simon Mason wrote:
>>
>>>> A courier driver who killed a father-of-three in a pile-up on the
>>>> M18 in
>>>> Doncaster has been jailed.
>>>> Przemyslaw Anucik, 32, admitted causing the death of Shaun McMahon, 60,
>>>> by dangerous driving on 6 October 2021.
>>>> Sheffield Crown Court heard on Tuesday how Anucik had been "oblivious"
>>>> to stationary traffic and crashed into a taxi in which Mr McMahon
>>>> had been a passenger.
>>
>>> So where was Mr McMahon?
>>
>>> He obviously wasn't in the taxi.
>>
>> It seems he was the passenger, in the taxi.
>
> I expect he must have been. That is not, though, what the report
> actually says. The phrase "had been" should have been rendered as "was".
> Someone may have though that "had been" sounded kewl.

[Erratum: "though" should have typed as "thought".]
>
> Basic literacy and grammatical skill among journos must be at an
> all-time low.
>
> Still, that one probably has a way to fall before it reaches the low
> standards acceptable over at road.cc.
>
>>> Did you NEVER study the pluperfect tense at your public school, M'Lud?
>>> Not even in connection with Latin or ancient Greek?
>>
>> A strange case. No suggestion of drink/ drugs/ mobile phone use ….
>> Dangerous driving is a ‘catch all’, often used when no obvious reason is
>> known.
>> The obvious one is tiredness / loss of concentration but who knows.
>
> "pile-up on the M18" suggests a series of rear-end collisions (a
> so-called "concertina crash").
>
> Over fifty years ago now, I and a friend, on our way to work, happened
> upon the aftermath of a huge concertina crash on M6 near Lymm which had
> happened in fog in the early hours. From memory, several people were
> killed and vehicles were crushed and/or burned. This sounds similar.
>
> It's the sort of accident which principally happens at the front end of
> the involved vehicles, with everyone praying that no more are going to
> collide with the rear of the various lane-queues.

QUOTE: Stephen Grattage, prosecuting, told the court Anucik, a DPD driver at the time, had caused the four-vehicle pile-up on the M18 near Hatfield after failing to react to stationary traffic. ENDS

What were the excuses from the other three drivers in this concatenation of events?

On 16/11/2023 09:15 pm, Simon Mason wrote:
> QUOTE: Stephen Grattage, prosecuting, told the court Anucik, a DPD driver at the time, had caused the four-vehicle pile-up on the M18 near Hatfield after failing to react to stationary traffic. ENDS
>
> What were the excuses from the other three drivers in this concatenation of events?

What had they done wrong, M'Lud?

Why did they need "excuses" as though they were some lesser breed
without the law (like chav-cyclists)?

QUOTE: Mr Grattage said other drivers in the queue had activated their hazard lights, including the taxi driver who had been transporting Mr McMahon. ENDS

So the killer driver MISSED seeing a whole queue of traffic all with their hazard lights activated? It's a wonder a mobile phone was not seemingly involved with that level of inattention.

Simon Mason <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> QUOTE: Mr Grattage said other drivers in the queue had activated their
> hazard lights, including the taxi driver who had been transporting Mr McMahon. ENDS
>
> So the killer driver MISSED seeing a whole queue of traffic all with
> their hazard lights activated? It's a wonder a mobile phone was not
> seemingly involved with that level of inattention.

Perhaps he was playing with his close-pass camera…

--
Spike

On 17/11/2023 07:44 am, Simon Mason wrote:

> QUOTE: Mr Grattage said other drivers in the queue had activated their hazard lights, including the taxi driver who had been transporting Mr McMahon. ENDS

"had been transporting" or "was transporting"?

Someone's grasp of our language is very poor. Whoever it was obviously
didn't study English Language at GCE level (or Latin / Greek at all).
>
> So the killer driver MISSED seeing a whole queue of traffic all with their hazard lights activated? It's a wonder a mobile phone was not seemingly involved with that level of inattention.

Yes, M'Lud.

Mind you, we didn't know until now that your extensive and illustrious
judicial experience had been gained in the criminal courts.

On Friday, November 17, 2023 at 7:44:03 AM UTC, Simon Mason wrote:
> QUOTE: Mr Grattage said other drivers in the queue had activated their hazard lights, including the taxi driver who had been transporting Mr McMahon.. ENDS
>
> So the killer driver MISSED seeing a whole queue of traffic all with their hazard lights activated? It's a wonder a mobile phone was not seemingly involved with that level of inattention.

Sounds like he was a "nodding dog" with a tablet in his lap.
See them every day.