Arran McManus was killed as he waited in his car while traffic was at a standstill on the M20 in Kent after lorry driver Zvonko Tomisa crashed into him in November last year
A father-of-two tragically lost his life in a motorway crash after being hit by a lorry driver who had been on a video call to his wife.
Zvonko Tomisa was travelling at approximately 55mph before he tried to brake one second before he hit “devoted” dad Arran McManus’s car in standstill traffic on the M20 in Kent on November 25 last year.
At Maidstone Crown Court on Monday (May 18), the court heard how there were multiple incoming and outgoing calls, messages and video calls from Tomisa’s phone in the hour before the crash.
The 58-year-old was on a video call with his wife immediately before and at the time he crashed into the local football coach’s Nissan Qashqai car at around 48mph.
Mr McManus, 36, who was on his way to work, was crushed and sustained injuries that were “not survivable” as he was forced into another lorry in front of him, the court heard.
Tomisa, of Videovec, in Croatia, was aided by an interpreter as he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for death by dangerous driving and banned from driving for 14 years and four months.
Sentencing him, Judge Catherine Moore said: “It is abundantly clear your entirely senseless actions meant your attention was distracted.
“You plainly assumed your driving would be unaffected by your mobile telephone use and that somehow the rules did not apply to you.
“You were not concentrating on the road, your failure to do so had tragic and entirely avoidable consequences.”
In a statement released by the police, Mr McManus’ partner said: “As a family, we’d like to thank the multiple members of public and emergency services who went to help Arran on the motorway.
“Life with Arran was full of energy, he was clever, witty, ambitious, always pushing himself, always making us laugh. Even mundane moments like shopping in Tesco or cleaning the house were fun with him. He was one of the good ones for sure.
“Arran’s death has shattered our family. We have lost a loving partner, a devoted dad, an active mentor, and a central figure in our community.
“The emotional trauma, the unanswered questions, and the permanent absence we now face cannot be measured. Our lives have changed forever.”
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