Young lorry driver killed after ‘falling asleep at wheel' in horror Scots crash
ROAD TRAGEDY Young lorry driver killed after 'falling asleep at wheel' in horror Scots crash
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A LORRY driver was killed in a horror crash on a Scots road after falling asleep at the wheel, an inquiry has ruled.
Thomas Hein, a 25-year-old German national and experienced HGV driver, died on July 14, 2023.
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The crash happened on the A74(M) near Moffat
The incident occurred when the articulated lorry he was driving left the A74(M) Carlisle to Glasgow Road, near Moffat, and overturned.
A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into his tragic passing determined that Mr Hein's cause of death was asphyxia, or oxygen deprivation, due to lung and heart compression sustained in the crash.
The inquiry, led by Sheriff Colm P. Dempsey, heard that no evidence was found to suggest catastrophic mechanical failure, driver impairment, or the involvement of another vehicle.
There was also no sign of Mr Hein taking evasive actions like emergency braking or steering to correct the vehicle's path.
This led the Sheriff to conclude that the cause of the accident was "inevitably a matter of inference."
Despite evidence showing Mr Hein had observed all proper rest periods, the Sheriff determined that Mr Hein had most likely fallen asleep at the wheel.
Mr Hein had been travelling as part of a convoy from Hull to Perth with two colleagues, having journeyed from Rotterdam to Hull on an overnight ferry.
At around 2.06pm, his vehicle failed to negotiate a slight right-hand bend, left the carriageway, travelled over a grass verge and onto an embankment before overturning.
His colleagues and members of the public rushed to his aid but were unable to reach him through the doors or windscreen.
He was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene by an on-call doctor at 2.30pm.
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The inquiry also found that no reasonable precautions could have been taken that might realistically have avoided the death.
No defects in any system of working were found to have contributed to the tragedy, and no other recommendations for preventing similar future deaths were made.
Sheriff P Colm Dempsey concluded: "Thomas Hein was a 25-year-old man who was much loved by his family and friends. He was a hard working and experienced professional driver.
"The cause of the accident has inevitably to be a matter of inference. On the available evidence, the conclusion which I have reached, is that Mr Hein fell asleep at the wheel, his vehicle thereafter failed to negotiate a slight right hand bend and left the carriageway before overturning."
He added: "I express my condolences to the family and friends of Mr Hein. Möge erin Frieden ruhen."
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