Driver jailed after Staffordshire smash kills 'irreplaceable' dad, 32

Motorist Josh Sandhu has been jailed after a crash killed an 'irreplacable' 32-year-old dad. And investigators say the fatal Staffordshire collision could have been avoided if the 28-year-old had been paying attention.

StokeonTrentLive reported at the time how emergency services - including the air ambulance - had been scrambled to Burntwood's Miners Way in May, 2022 to reports of a collision. Sadly Paul Summers, of Cannock, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sandhu, also of Cannock, was taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital while his passenger went to Walsall Manor Hospital. Staffordshire Police say the defendant had been travelling in his Volkswagen Polo when he struck the front of Paul's Volkswagen Golf, which was on the opposite side.

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The smash spun the Golf from the carriageway and onto the nearside verge. Collision investigators say that analysis from the the airbag control module fitted to the Polo indicated that the vehicle was accelerating from 45mph to 55mph at the point of impact.

Meanwhile impact marks suggested the Polo was on the wrong side of the road at the time of the collision. In the aftermath of the crash Paul's grieving family paid tribute to him.

They said: "Paul was an irreplaceable dad, boyfriend, son and friend to all who knew him. He will be sadly missed by anyone who had the privilege of meeting him."

Sandhu went on to plead guilty to causing death by careless driving. During a hearing at Stafford Crown Court on Tuesday he was handed a 10-month jail term. In addition he was disqualified from driving for 29 months and ordered to take an extended re-test.

Detective Constable Jim Addison said the smash could have been avoided. DC Addison, of the Staffordshire and West Midlands Serious Collision Investigation unit, said: "Sandhu’s poor driving that day caused the death of a man who was simply making his way to work. Paul’s family and friends have suffered tremendously as a result.

“This collision was avoidable if Sandhu had paid attention while he was driving.”

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