BMW Driver Ploughs Into Stranded Motorist on Hard Shoulder
Ben Cooke, 35, was caught on camera dangerously overtaking cars in his BMW 118 on the motorway between junctions 4a and 5. Moments before the crash, the victim had pulled onto the hard shoulder and switched on his hazard lights.
As the victim stepped out of his Ford Focus, Cooke smashed into the stationary vehicle, leaving the driver helplessly lying in lane one as oncoming traffic swerved to avoid a disaster.
Hit-and-Run Horror at 1.10am
Cooke casually walked away from the scene and hopped into a taxi waiting nearby at around 1.10am on 22 December last year. An ambulance en route to another emergency, which Cooke had just overtaken, stopped to aid the injured motorist.
After the incident, Cooke checked into a hotel in Castle Bromwich but was arrested the next day. Although he refused to comment, he later pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Jailed and Banned: Justice Served
At Birmingham Crown Court on Monday, Cooke was sentenced to 18 months in jail. He also received a driving ban of four years and nine months.
PC Nick James, Central Motorway Police Group, said: “This was a horrific piece of driving, in terrible weather conditions on a part of the motorway that he shouldn’t have been on as the matrix boards were displaying ‘Hard Shoulder for emergency use only.’ We don’t know exactly how fast Cooke was going, but he was clearly undertaking vehicles travelling around 70mph.
“The taxi driver has no memory of the accident or why he had to stop on the hard shoulder. The victim suffered multiple fractures and internal bleeding. While he is recovering, he hasn’t yet returned to work. This footage shows it could have been so much worse.”
