Horrifying moment lorry driver distracted by seven-minute Facebook video ploughs into and kills three motorists including young bride-to-be – before trying to destroy his phone

•  Lorry driver Michal Kopaniarz, 39, will be sentenced later on Friday afternoon

Dashcam footage shows the horrifying moment a lorry driver ploughed into and killed three motorists after becoming distracted by a seven-minute Facebook video on his phone. 

Michal Kopaniarz, 39, smashed his nine-ton vehicle into bride-to-be Alex Britton, 28, as well as two other motorists who had stopped to help the young mother-of-two after her car broke down on the A303 near Andover, Hampshire, on August 25, 2021. 

In video footage shown to the court, the lorry is seen hurtling towards the stationary vehicles at 56mph at around 8.40am. In the immediate aftermath of the collision, Kopaniarz is seen snapping his phone in half and throwing it into a nearby undergrowth.

Kopaniarz pleaded guilty to causing three deaths by dangerous driving. He also admitted attempting to destroy his Samsung phone which showed he was using it in the moments before he smashed into his victims. 

Good Samaritan Tina Ince, 58, from Portsmouth, was driving a Mercedes food delivery van when she stopped to help Ms Britton, whose Vauxhall Astra had broken down, the court was told. 

Michal Kopaniarz (pictured outside court), 39, smashed his nine-ton lorry into mother-of-two and bride-to-be Alex Britton, 28, as well as two other motorists who had stopped to help her after her car broke down on the A303 near Andover, Hampshire, on August 25, 2021

Alex Britton (pictured), 28, who along with Tina Ince, 58 and Tom Watson, 30, all from separate vehicles, were pronounced dead at the scene following a crash on the A303 near Andover, Hampshire, on August 25 2021

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Safiullah Latif Asif, who died after the catastrophic injuries after the crash near to his home

DAF recovery truck driver Tom Watson, 30, had also pulled over to aid Ms Britton. They were all pronounced dead at the scene following the collision. 

At Winchester Crown Court on Friday, grieving families heard for the first time that Kopaniarz had been distracted by a video he was watching on his phone and even sent a link of it to a woman on Facebook.

He was also typing sat-nav directions into his phone in the seconds before impact.  

Prosecutor Simon Jones told the court that on a day of ‘clear’ visibility, Kopaniarz had a 170 metre ‘unobstructed view’ of the static vehicles.

He said: ‘On that morning, Alex Britton was driving along the A303 when her vehicle broke down in lane one.’

Ms Ince had stopped to see if she could ‘assist’ and was joined by Mr Watson who also stopped to see if he could help with his recovery truck.

‘Meanwhile the defendant had been driving his vehicle in order to deliver bottled water to a Co-op depot in Andover,’ he continued.

‘He failed to react in time to the vehicles in front of him. All three were killed instantly sustaining catastrophic injuries.’

Police analysis of the phone Kopaniarz had tried to hide showed he had watched a seven minute LadBible video and sent the link to a woman on Facebook just 40 seconds before the crash.

‘After watching the video clip, just seconds before impact, the defendant was halfway through typing into a mapping application the destination of his delivery,’ he added.

DAF recovery truck driver Tom Watson (pictured), 30, had also pulled up to the scene to aid Ms Britton, before he was killed in the crash 

Good Samaritan Tina Ince, 58, from Portsmouth, was driving a Mercedes food delivery van when she stopped to help Ms Britton, whose Vauxhall Astra had broken down, the court was told

Dashcam footage from Kopaniarz’s lorry shows him continuing at 55mph into the back of the food delivery van

Dash-cam footage viewed in court then showed Kopaniarz breaking his phone in half and throwing it into the nearby grass verge.

Mr Jones continued: ‘From the moment of this collision, the defendant’s actions were directed to destroying evidence he knew implicated him and points towards his culpability and dangerous driving.

‘While he said he did not see [the vehicles], he knows the reason for this was because he was using his phone.

‘The defendant did not see the vehicles in lane one because he was not paying attention and was plainly distracted by using his mobile phone.’

When first interviewed by police Kopaniarz said there had been an issue with his brakes.

However Mr Jones said: ‘Irrespective of whether the emergency brakes were working, he simply was not in a position to apply them because he was looking at his phone.’

The court heard that physical evidence analysis found the brakes were not applied until the HGV vehicle was nine to 12 metres away from the eventual pile-up.

He added: ‘It is clear the mobile phone use appears to be the main factor in this collision.

‘The driving fell far below what would be expected of a competent and careful driver and man who drives for a living.

‘It was plainly obvious that driving in that way would be dangerous and led to the tragic death of three people.’

Kopaniarz is seen in the aftermath of the collision snapping his phone in half and throwing it into a nearby undergrowth

Kopaniarz pleaded guilty to causing three deaths by dangerous driving. He also admitted attempting to destroy his Samsung phone (moment pictured) which showed he was using it when he smashed into his victims 

Several bereaved family members and partners read their moving personal statements to the court.

Ms Britton and her childhood sweetheart, Aaron Law, with whom she shared daughters Payton, five, and two-year-old Ava, were engaged and due to be married after their initial wedding was postponed due to Covid.

An emotional Mr Law said: ‘My life, my girls’ lives and my families lives are ruined and changed forever.

‘No one can prepare themselves for having to tell their three year old daughter that mummy died and she will never be coming home.

‘There are no words that begin to describe how that felt.

‘My children should not have to refer to their mummy as a star. As beautiful as it sounds – it breaks my heart.

‘Alex was and still is my entire world. You need to understand what you have stolen from me, my children and my whole family.’

Looking at Kopaniarz directly, he said: ‘You took my wife to be, you took my best friend, you took the mother of my children and you stole my happily ever after.’

The tearful widow of Tom Watson, Emma, said: ‘You were my best friend, my soul mate, my heart.

‘I miss him every second of every day. We wanted to grow old together but this has been stolen from us.’

The hearing continues. Kopaniarz will be sentenced later this afternoon.

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