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Lorry driver jailed over four-death A34 crash Lorry driver Tomasz Kroker jailed over four-death crash
(35 minutes later)
A lorry driver who hit and killed a mother and three children while using his phone has been jailed for 10 years. A lorry driver who killed a mother and three children while distracted by his phone has been jailed for 10 years.
Tomasz Kroker smashed into Tracy Houghton's car, killing her instantly along with her sons Ethan, 13, and Joshua, 11, and her partner's 11-year-old daughter Aimee Goldsmith.Tomasz Kroker smashed into Tracy Houghton's car, killing her instantly along with her sons Ethan, 13, and Joshua, 11, and her partner's 11-year-old daughter Aimee Goldsmith.
Judge Maura McGowan said his attention had been so poor he "might as well have had his eyes closed".Judge Maura McGowan said his attention had been so poor he "might as well have had his eyes closed".
Kroker, 30, was scrolling through music selections at the time of the crash.Kroker, 30, was scrolling through music selections at the time of the crash.
'Sudden horror''Sudden horror'
The judge described the case as the most horrific she had ever seen. The court heard he had been so distracted he barely looked at the road for almost a kilometre. The judge described the case as the most horrific she had ever seen.
The family had been returning from a camping trip in two cars at the time of the crash. Ms Houghton's partner Mark Goldsmith was in a car behind her, and witnessed what happened. Kate Goldsmith, whose daughter Aimee died, said Kroker had turned his lorry into a "lethal weapon" by using his phone while driving at 50mph, and made a plea to all road users to learn the lessons from the case.
The court had heard that Kroker was so distracted by his phone that he barely looked at the road for almost a kilometre. "We urge you to make a personal commitment to stop using mobile phones while driving and make our roads safer for everyone," she said.
Kate Goldsmith, whose daughter Aimee died, said Kroker had turned his lorry into a "lethal weapon" by using his mobile phone while driving at 50mph.
Speaking outside Reading Crown Court, she said: "The 10-year sentence will not ease our pain and suffering, nor do we believe it will send a strong enough message to those who lack the self-restraint to not use a mobile phone when driving."Speaking outside Reading Crown Court, she said: "The 10-year sentence will not ease our pain and suffering, nor do we believe it will send a strong enough message to those who lack the self-restraint to not use a mobile phone when driving."
The court heard how the family had been returning from a camping trip in two cars at the time of August's crash on the A34, near Newbury in Berkshire.
Ms Houghton's partner Mark Goldsmith and his 13-year-old son Jake were in a car that was also struck by Kroker. The court heard how the Vauxhall Zafira being driven by Mr Goldsmith was shunted into the Corsa containing the rest of the family, which was forced underneath a lorry in front.
The Corsa was compressed to a third of its normal size, the court was told.
Prosecutor Charles Ward-Jackson said: "It is a particularly distressing feature that the two surviving members of the family were in the car behind, and a 13-year-old boy was forced to witness at close range the deaths of four members of close family."
Some family members left the court as the prosecution began to show photos of the crash scene and video from the lorry's cab camera.Some family members left the court as the prosecution began to show photos of the crash scene and video from the lorry's cab camera.
Others were reduced to tears as video of the crash on the A34 near Newbury, Berkshire, in August was shown. Others were reduced to tears as video of the crash was shown.
Less than a second before the impact, an onboard camera showed Kroker, originally from Poland, "looking up with sudden horror on his face... it was too late to take any avoiding action," the court heard. Less than a second before the impact, an onboard camera showed Kroker, originally from Poland, "looking up with sudden horror on his face... it was too late to take any avoiding action", the court heard.
He hit one car, flipping it on to its back and down an embankment, leaving its driver with injuries including a broken back. In the pile-up, Kroker also seriously injured Mazda driver Adam Pearson, whose car was thrown on to its roof, leaving him with a collapsed lung and a broken back, and also injured the two occupants of a Citroen.
A van that was next in the queue of stationary traffic was driven forward "like a battering ram", the court heard. Jake Goldsmith, who witnessed his sister Aimee's death, now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a victim impact statement from his mother Kathryn.
The car in which Ms Houghton, 45, and her three children were travelling in was pushed under a lorry, compressing it to a third of its normal size, the court was told. "Jake doesn't talk much any more, he doesn't have much to say," she said. "Our nights are plagued with nightmares and broken sleep."
Reading Crown Court heard that an hour before the pile-up, Kroker had signed a declaration to his employer, promising he would not use his phone at the wheel. The court heard that an hour before the pile-up, Kroker had signed a declaration to his employer, promising he would not use his phone at the wheel.
Kroker, from Trajan Walk, Andover, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to four counts of causing death by dangerous driving on 10 October. The lorry driver, from Trajan Walk, Andover, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to four counts of causing death by dangerous driving on 10 October.