Overview
- Bristol Crown Court on February 26 sentenced Jamie Nicholls to 14 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, with a 12-month driving ban requiring an extended test, a 60-day curfew and rehabilitation.
- The 48-year-old admitted causing death by careless driving and causing serious injury by careless driving after rear-ending Michael Stone’s stationary car on the M32 Junction 1 slip road at Hambrook.
- Officers said Nicholls told them he looked down to search for a cigarette for a second or two, leaving no time to brake before impact.
- The crash set off further collisions with three more vehicles, killed Stone at the scene, and injured others, including a passenger who suffered seven broken ribs and a head injury, with Nicholls and another driver treated in hospital.
- In a court statement, Penny Stone described profound family loss, as police urged drivers to avoid even brief distractions at motorway speeds.