Lancashire father jailed for causing death of son by dangerous driving
Daniel Burba's son died in a crash on the M6
Last updated 5th Aug 2025
A cocaine-fuelled motorist who killed his teenage son after he ignored medical advice to stop driving has been jailed for 10 years.
Daniel Burba, 31, had an epileptic fit at the wheel of his wife's Peugeot van which swerved off the M6 near Lancaster and hit a tree on April 20.
His front-seat passenger, Ryan Morgan, 14, sustained head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision on the southbound carriageway between junctions 34 and 33.
The youngster died "in terror" as he tried to gain control of the vehicle moments before the crash, Preston Crown Court heard.
Burba was taken to hospital with "relatively minor" injuries to his ribs and lacerations.
While he was being treated, a paramedic discovered a small bag of cocaine in Burba's wallet, the court was told.
Blood tests revealed that the defendant was four times above the legal drug-drive limit.
It emerged that Burba, from Morecambe, Lancashire, had been told in October 2014 by his doctor to stop taking cocaine after he suffered a seizure which lasted up to four minutes.
The provisional licence holder was also advised not to drive.
Burba was given a similar warning in February when he was admitted to hospital after more fits and was also told to inform the DVLA.
Sentencing, Judge Robert Altham, the Honorary Recorder of Preston, told him: "You knew that cocaine predisposed you to further fits.
"You were not entitled to drive unsupervised and certainly not on the motorway. You should not have behind the wheel at all
"You chose to drive on a motorway on a busy bank holiday Sunday. You had a passenger in the van and that passenger was your son, a person you should have been protecting and not endangering.
"You knew that taking cocaine made your decision to drive all the more dangerous. Your driving put many other road users in danger."
Burba, of Arnside Crescent, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to causing death by dangerous driving.
He also admitted driving without a licence and with no insurance.
Judge Altham disqualified him from driving for 14 years and five months.