This careless trucker was snapped reading a large BOOK on his steering wheel – as he sped past floral tributes left at the scene of a fatal accident.
The A4-sized pink hardback covered the wheel as the driver passed less than 20ft away from the site, where a man was killed in a head-on collision, travelling at 40mph.
Tragic Craig Tomlin, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene when his dark blue Vauxhall Astra smashed into a white Volkswagen van on the A5 near Heath and Reach, Beds.
A passing nurse has been praised for rescuing his four-year-old son from the burning wreckage following the smash at around 5.30pm on Monday.
But the driver of the A5 Skip Hire lorry, based in Bedford, appeared unconcerned as he scanned the open pages of his book just 48 hours later.
Photographer Blake-Ezra Cole, 26, who spotted the trucker, said he was ”appalled” by his lack of attention.
Blake. of North London, said: ”He was driving straight past the flowers at the accident site and just looked totally engrossed in his book.
”He must have been doing about 40mph. It was incredibly irresponsible and I was shocked.
”People can go to jail for using their mobile phone while driving but I think this is much worse – he couldn’t even see the steering wheel.”
A spokesman for A5 Skip hire said the driver must have been glancing through his address book and would only have looked away from the road for a few seconds.
He said: ”He would have been looking through his address book for the next order.”
Craig Tomlin, of Leighton Buzzard, died at the scene of Monday’s crash. His young son is being treated in Luton and Dunstable Hospital for minor injuries.
The 53-year-old van driver is being treated at the Royal London Hospital for life-threatening injuries.
A spokeswoman for Bedfordshire Police said any witnesses to alleged dangerous driving incidents should call the police if they wanted to report a crime.
She said: ”My advice is to contact your local force or go via our main
switchboard and speak to the call handlers.
”They are trained to be able to advise whether a crime has been committed and what the next course of action should be.”
Any witnesses to Monday’s accident should call Pc Andy Carter, of Bedfordshire Police’s collision investigation unit, on 01234 842469
