Driver on trial over M4 crash where grandmother died

A grandmother died after a van ploughed into the back of a broken-down car in a smart motorway's fast lane, a court heard.

Pulvinder Dhillon, 68, from London, died on 7 March 2022, minutes after her daughter's Nissan Micra lost power and came to a standstill in the fast lane of the M4 westbound, between junctions 11 and 12, in Berkshire.

Barry O'Sullivan, 45, was driving a Ford Transit Connect van "at speed" before it hit the Micra, causing the car to burst into flames.

He denies causing death by careless driving.

Prosecutor Ian Hope told Reading Crown Court an alert system warning of obstructions or problems along the motorway were not working at the time of the crash.

Dhillon's daughter, Rajpal Dene, had turned the car's hazard lights on after it failed and for about six minutes "a host of vehicles" had swerved and braked to avoid hitting it, Hope said.

Several passing motorists had also contacted the police to inform them of the stationary car, he added.

O'Sullivan was driving his Ford van at speeds of about 74 to 80mph along that same stretch of motorway for the five seconds before the collision, the court heard.

Describing the crash, Mr Hope said: "He essentially ploughed straight into the back of the stationary Nissan, with there being no apparent avoiding action to the naked eye."

After the Nissan caught fire, Dene was "pulled to safety" by other motorists but nothing could be done to save her mother, who died at the scene.

O'Sullivan, from Wixams, Bedfordshire, was also "seriously injured" in the collision, jurors were told, and tests for drugs and alcohol were negative.

He told police that he had seen the Micra ahead and initially perceived it to be moving, before he released it was not.

Representing O'Sullivan, Ian Bridge said the smart motorway system along the stretch of the M4 was defective for five days before the collision.

He said: "[Dhillon] was stranded for six minutes, there were 14 warning signs [along the M4], none of them worked.

"We submit... that that was the cause of this tragedy rather than any failure on his part."

Following her death, Dhillon's family said she was "loved and respected by all she knew".

The trial continues.