Diabetic driver spared jail after causing fatal crash during low blood sugar blackout

A diabetic driver has been spared jail after killing a motorist in a head-on collision when he blacked out from low blood sugar.

Thomas Treadwell, 32, fell unconscious and then swerved into the vehicle being driven by Aironas Gzimaila, 23, who was killed.

Treadwell, who has had Type 1 diabetes since he was seven years old, was spared jail at Ipswich Crown Court on Monday.

He was sentenced to a year in prison, suspended for two years, after he admitted causing death by dangerous driving.

Treadwell, from Wickford, Essex, was driving along the A120 to see his girlfriend in Harwich when the crash happened at about 8.50pm on 27 March 2018.

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He started his journey at 6.30pm and stopped after two hours to drink two cans of Red Bull, the court heard.

Half an hour later, Treadwell suffered a hypoglycemic episode and lost control of his Vauxhall Corsa.

His car swerved onto the other side of the single carriageway and collided head-on with Mr Gzimaila's oncoming Ford Fiesta, the court heard.

Mr Gzimaila died at the scene. Treadwell was hospitalised with serious injuries.

The court heard that Treadwell had previously had his driving licence revoked in 2010 and 2016 because of his "carelessness" towards his condition.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) says diabetics must check their blood sugar levels every two hours when behind the wheel.

But Treadwell did a test seven hours before the crash, which showed he had low blood sugar levels.

He failed to take another test despite having one ready to use in his car, the court heard.

Treadwell was disqualified from driving for 10 years and ordered to pay £2,500 in prosecution costs. He must also undertake 250 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation.

Sentencing, Judge Martyn Levett said: “This case leaves a family with continued grieving; it brings a lot of pain and harm to the lives of others."