Man jailed for more than seven years after fatal collision on the M6

A man who killed a woman and seriously injured her daughter following a collision on the M6 has been jailed.

Marcin Szewczyk, 43, of Lancashire Hill, Stockport, was sentenced to seven and a half years imprisonment on Tuesday 18 April at Chester Crown Court after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.

He was also handed a five-year driving ban which will be in place on his release from prison.

The court heard how, on 12.31am on Saturday 30 October 2021, a white Mercedes Sprinter van being driven by Szewczyk collided into the rear of a stationery Kia Sportage, pushing the vehicle into a HGV between junction 17 (Sandbach) and junction 18 (Middlewich).

The Kia was stationery in heavy traffic displaying hazard warning lights at the time of the collision and had been so for over a minute.

As a result of the collision, the rear seat passenger of the Kia, Suzanne Taylor, sadly passed away at the scene.

Her daughter, who was the front seat passenger, suffered serious injuries and was taken to University Hospital North Midlands where due to the severity of her injuries had to undergo surgery and was discharged two months later.

Szewczyk was arrested and was taken into custody where toxicology results showed he had traces of amphetamine in his system.

During the course of the investigation, officers spoke to key witnesses who stated the van was weaving all over the road, they provided dash camera footage which proved pivotal in the case.

While GPS data from his employer found that the vehicle being driven by Szewczyk had left the warehouse a total of 22 hours and 31 minutes prior to the collision travelling over 450 miles.

Szewczyk was later charged with causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Investigating Officer PC Faye Clarke said: “Szewczyk’s actions and decision to continue to drive throughout the 22 hour period prior to the collision has devastated Suzanne’s family.

“He did not hold a valid driving licence and enquiries found that his Polish driving licence was listed as confiscated and invalid.

“Whilst employed as a professional driver Szewczyk deliberately chose to ignore the law and continued to drive whilst knowingly fatigued and under the influence of a controlled drug which put lives at risk. He had ample opportunity to pull in or leave the motorway network but continued to drive.

“I would like to thank all those who assisted at the scene and those who have supported police to allow us to build a case to put Szewczyk before the court and take him off the roads.

“Our thoughts remain with Suzanne’s family who have been left devastated following this tragic collision, they have shown such dignity and courage throughout proceedings.”

Speaking following the sentencing, Suzanne’s family said: “As a family we are pleased with the custodial sentence of seven and a half years, though no sentence can bring mum back.

“We as a family want to move forward with our lives and keeping mum in our thoughts at all times.

“We would like to thank Cheshire Police for their hard work and patience showed throughout this process, especially our Family Liaison Officer and the investigation team."