Birmingham headteacher unlawfully killed on M5
An inquest in Gloucester heard today that Mr Dosanjh, who ran his own beer distribution business, was driving his load at between 85 to 90mph, before his tyre blew causing an “asteroid shower” of beer kegs to litter the road.
His van flew over the barrier and landed on top of Mr Slinn’s car at around 7.30pm. His wife Lisa, 42, and 11-year-old daughter Carrie were also injured but escaped with their lives. His second daughter Beth, 16, was not in the car.
Fifteen people suffered minor injuries in the crash on May 30 described by one witness as being “like the James Bond film Casino Royale, or something you see on a console game”.
After the hearing, Mrs Slinn said that leading a “busy hectic life” was no excuse for the standard of driving that had deprived her daughters of their father.
She said: “Daniel was a wonderful husband, father and headteacher who was killed due to the careless driving of another individual. Whilst we are sorry for the loss suffered by his family, it is clear that Dan would still be alive today if that driver had acted more responsibly.
“We all, as drivers, need to slow down and think of other road users even if we are living busy hectic lives. Perhaps if there were more police on motorways this may have been avoided.”
Mr Slinn’s brother-in-law Jaskaran Singh Rama said: “We regret what has occurred and would like to express our condolences to the family of Mr Slinn.”
Mr Slinn and his family were travelling back from Dorset after the half-term holiday when the crash happened.
Witness Stephen Haw, a Merseyside firefighter from Southport, who saw the white van fly towards him told the hearing: “It was like the James Bond film Casino Royale, or something you’d expect to see on a games console.”
He said he “went into work mode” and tried to help as best he could.
Optician Chris Child, also driving that day, said there was an “asteroid storm” of barrels coming down the carriageway at his and other vehicles.
He said: “It was absolute carnage. I can only compare it with an explosion from a Hollywood action movie.”
A post-mortem examination revealed the cause of the Dosanjhs’ deaths as multiple injuries, and Mr Slinn’s as head injuries. All three died at the scene.
At the time of Mr Slinn’s death Carrie, who was treated for a fractured pelvis, said: “Dad had been teaching me how to play cricket with him and he loved being in the garden and building sandcastles on the beach.
“He was in the middle of writing a children’s book, which we are going to finish off for him. It could be the next Harry Potter.”
The van had been carrying far more barrels than its 22-keg limit allowed, putting it 1,385 kg overweight, said collision investigator PC David Holland.
