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Lorry driver denies killing four Lorry driver denies killing four
(about 2 hours later)
A lorry driver killed a family of four who were crushed in their car after he fell asleep at the wheel and hit a queue of traffic, a court has heard.A lorry driver killed a family of four who were crushed in their car after he fell asleep at the wheel and hit a queue of traffic, a court has heard.
Ian King's articulated lorry ploughed into a line of vehicles on the A34 near Bicester, Oxon, in July 2006.Ian King's articulated lorry ploughed into a line of vehicles on the A34 near Bicester, Oxon, in July 2006.
Malcolm Dowling, 46, his wife Janice, 42, and sons Richard, 16, and George, 11, from Staffs, were killed instantly.Malcolm Dowling, 46, his wife Janice, 42, and sons Richard, 16, and George, 11, from Staffs, were killed instantly.
Mr King, from Groby, Leicestershire, denies four counts of causing death by dangerous driving.Mr King, from Groby, Leicestershire, denies four counts of causing death by dangerous driving.
Oxford Crown Court heard that the family had been on their way back to Lichfield from a family holiday in France.Oxford Crown Court heard that the family had been on their way back to Lichfield from a family holiday in France.
Mr King's DAF lorry hit two vehicles, sending one over the top of the Dowling's Peugeot 307. John Price, prosecuting, said on the afternoon of 31 July last year Mr King's DAF lorry, without any significant attempt at braking, struck a Ford Focus at the rear of the queue on the A34 at its junction with the M40.
His lorry then crashed into their car from behind. The defendant had fallen asleep at the wheel of his lorry John Price, prosecuting
The jury heard the impact knocked the Ford clear before the lorry hit a Renault Laguna with such force it lifted it up and over the Dowling's Peugeot 307.
Mr Price said the defendant's vehicle then "overran" the Peugeot and struck the rear of a car transporter in front.
He said the queue was visible for a considerable distance, especially in the elevated position of a lorry.
Technical evidence showed that as the lorry approached its speed actually increased slightly to 43mph, the court heard.
'Creeping fatigue'
Mr Price said: "Thus the prosecution say that this collision cannot be explained by mere careless inattention for a second or two.
"Indeed it is as if there was no-one in the cab of that lorry as it approached the back of the queue.
"The most likely explanation for this state of affairs, and maybe one that is not the subject of dispute, is that the defendant had fallen asleep at the wheel of his lorry.
"When a person falls asleep they do not go from a state of being fully awake and alert one second and asleep the next.
"It is not like flicking a switch. A person is aware of a sense of creeping fatigue and as it progresses the sense becomes stronger.
"If you are driving, this process is a means of telling you that you should stop and rest.
"For you to continue to drive in defiance of this message that your brain is giving you, is to run an increasing risk that you will drop off at the wheel with dreadful consequences."
The court heard that Mr King was spoken to by police after the crash and again two months later and denied feeling tired or falling asleep.
The trial continues.The trial continues.