Lorry driver jailed over death of ‘kind, funny and caring’ motorcyclist

Motorcyclist Nigel Osler died following a collision with a lorry

A lorry driver has been jailed for nine years after causing the death of a 61-year-old motorcyclist.

Matthew Wright had been driving an Amazon Prime lorry when he made a right turn at the A617/A60 crossroads junction in Mansfield, in what police believe was part of an attempted U-turn.

Wright, whose employer had rented the lorry from Amazon, was in the wrong lane for turning right and as a result turned in front of a Yamaha motorbike, causing a collision.

The motorcyclist, Nigel Osler, was taken to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham where the married dad-of-two died later that day.

Nottingham Crown Court heard the collision happened in the early hours of 12 July 2023 – moments after Wright had departed the Amazon depot in Sherwood Way South.

As he travelled east along the A617, he moved into the far left of four lanes (lane one) before turning right at the crossroads – a manoeuvre that saw him cut across lanes two and three, which were for traffic going straight ahead.

The court heard only motorists in the far right lane (lane four) were permitted to turn right – and that the traffic light for motorists turning right was on red at the time Wright made his manoeuvre.

Matthew Wright caused a fatal collision by turning right despite being in the far-left lane

By cutting across lanes two and three to complete the illegal manoeuvre, Wright caused Mr Osler – who was adhering to the speed limit as he rode along the 60mph stretch – to crash into the front offside wheel of the lorry.

Following a detailed investigation, Wright was charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

The 45-year-old, of Leeson Avenue, Charnock Richard, Chorley, pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court today (3 October).

The court heard Wright had only been a licenced HGV driver for 55 days at the time of the collision and that this was his first criminal conviction.

His defence counsel said he performed the manoeuvre as he “genuinely believed it was safe to do so” and that he “does not in any way underestimate the profound consequences of his actions that day”.

“The guilt will live with him for the rest of his days,” the defence lawyer added.

Jailing Wright for nine years, Judge Stuart Rafferty KC said cases such as this are “one of the hardest” to pass sentence on, acknowledging he had not set out to kill Mr Osler that morning. He said:

“In just a few short minutes, or even not that long, a life was lost and it should not have been. The devastation you caused is immeasurable and of course your life has changed also.

"No sentence I can pass will have any meaning for the family. It doesn’t matter how long the sentence is – I can’t give back what they want and that’s him.”

Wright was further disqualified from driving for five years after his release from prison.

Following the sentencing, Mr Osler’s family said they had “lived in a world of disbelief” since his sudden death last year. They said:

“You cannot overestimate the devastating impact that such an horrendous and unnecessary death has upon a family.

“Nige was such a kind, funny, caring and generous man who loved his children and adored his grandchildren.

“The pain of losing someone in such traumatic circumstances is immeasurable and we will never recover. Memories that we should be making can never be.

“To lose his life through no fault of his own in these circumstances is devastating for everyone who loved him.

“To the emergency service personnel that attended Nige and to everyone at the scene and at Queen’s Medical Centre we send our heartfelt thanks. You all did your very best for him.

“The fact that we are here today is testament to the police and CPS in securing a conviction and for this we thank you.

“We’d like to thank everyone for their support of our family and kind sentiments offered since that day.

“We would urge anyone using the roads to consider the consequences of their actions; is it really worth it?

“No amount of sentence can bring Nige back or erase the devastating memories of that day, we have to live with the consequences forever.”

Collision Investigator Georgina Luke of Nottinghamshire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said:

“This was an utterly tragic incident that robbed a family of a much-loved husband, dad, grandad and brother.

“Wright’s manner of driving was extremely dangerous and ultimately cost Mr Osler his life.

“As Wright begins his sentence, I sincerely hope that other drivers will take note of the potential consequences of driving dangerously and be more considerate around other road users by ensuring they have passed you safely before making manoeuvres which could put their lives at risk.

“Our thoughts remain with Mr Osler’s family, who have all been so brave throughout the investigation process after suffering such a dreadful loss.”