A lorry driver denied causing death by careless driving when he accidentally ran over a drunk Polish bank clerk.

The 50 year old lorry driver, Peter Wallace, failed to see Rafal Kuzniar, as he stumbled across Victoria Embankment in central London on April 12th, last year.

Even though Mr Wallace’s passenger at the time, Grant Pike, tried to raise the alarm after spotting Mr Kuzniar, the collision happened quickly and the former bank clerk was thrown meters forward and he couldn’t be saved.

During court, prosecutors insisted Mr Wallace was not paying sufficient attention to his surroundings or what was going on ahead of him.

A jury of eight men and four women deliberated non-stop for a matter of three hours and fifteen minutes before finding the defendant not guilty of causing death by careless driving.

As the defendant was driving a 7.5 tonne flatbed scaffolder’s truck, it could of well been seen as unfair as Mr Wallace’s chances of stopping the heavy vehicle were very low, so it wouldn’t of mattered greatly if he did try to brake or not.

The death of Mr Kuzniar was described by Judge Nicholas Lorraine-Smith as ”very sad” as people knew very little about him.

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Tags: Death by careless driving