A “KIND and generous” woman was killed by a driver on the motorway after he failed to secure a drilling rig safely to his vehicle.
Jessica Allman, 34, tragically died after the two-tonne piece of machinery toppled from the trailer of the Liam Smith’s vehicle in July 2022.
Ms Allman, who was described as an “extraordinary woman” who “enriched the lives of others” was killed by dangerous driving on the B3297, close to the area of Burras in Cornwall.
Truro Crown Court heard today how the driver showed “wholesale disregard” to the safety of other roads users, as the unsecured rig crashed onto the opposite side of the carriageway, as reported by Cornwall Live.
As Mr Smith reached a bend in the road just after 1pm, the Beretta T24 hydraulic drilling rig toppled off the trailer, smashing into the side of Ms Allman’s oncoming Fiat Punto.
She tragically suffered a catastrophic head injury after her car flipped on its side.
Ms Allman lived in Newquay and worked as a young people’s advisor in mental health.
She had been travelling between meetings at the time of the crash.
Mr Smith, 35, tried to blame the victim, suggesting in an interview that Ms Allman had driven over the white lines onto his side of the carriageway, and he had swerved to avoid her.
He also falsely asserted that she had been using her phone at the time of the collision.
The court found both his claims to be untrue, and Mr Smith later pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
Another driver who witnessed the tragedy confirmed that the victim was driving at a sensible speed on the correct side of the carriageway.
Prosecutor Philippa Harper said the incident happened on July 19, a clear and dry day with no averse weather affecting driving conditions.
She also noted that no faults were found on either vehicles, or the road.
The court heard how Mr Smith was caught on CCTV driving his employer’s white Ford Ranger, towing a trailer loaded with the rig.
He’d secured the huge machine with just one strap over the mast, despite being responsible for making sure it was safe.
Footage showed him heading from Newquay through Callestick and onto the A30 with the lone strap still visible.
But when he stopped at Macsalvors in Redruth around 1pm, CCTV captured the rig sitting on the trailer with no strap securing it at all.
Expert evidence advised that in order to be complaint with UK traffic law, the machinery should have been secured by four direct straps or lashings as well as physical barriers.
An inspection of the trailer revealed one ratchet strap snapped in two, while numerous other straps inside were in good condition.
Mr Smith’s defence said: “This is not a man who is known for taking half measure, doing things unsafely, deliberately or recklessly for his own convenience.”
He argued that the defendant expressed remorse, and that “no-one feels the tragedy in this room as heavily” as him.
Mr Smith was handed a sentence of 64 months imprisonment.
Judge James Adkin told him: “On July 19, 2022, at around 1.30pm Jessica Allman was killed by you Liam Smith.
“She was 34 when she died. She was an extraordinary woman – compassionate, kind and generous; she loved nature, coastal living.”
The judge told the court that Ms Allman’s death was “entirely preventable,” citing the bad practice demonstrated by using a single strap.
He also noted that Mr Smith had not been entirely truthful in his police interviews, seeking to pass blame onto the victim.
A spokesperson from the Devon and Cornwall Police 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.”
