The fatal collision happened on the A40 near Ganarew, Ross-on-Wye, in August 2022
A tractor driver has been jailed for eight years after a fatal A40 crash in which police said a missing amber warning beacon was the main causal factor.
Philip Baker, 61, of Wonastow, Monmouth, Gwent, was sentenced at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday 22 September after previously being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. He was also disqualified from driving for nine years.
The sentence relates to a collision on the A40 near Ganarew, Ross-on-Wye, at around 9.50pm on 11 August 2022. Motorcyclist Dr Steven Lee, 26, died at the scene.
Baker had been transporting straw from a field and was travelling from Walford towards Monmouth shortly before the crash.
West Mercia Police said the tractor and trailer had a number of dangerous defects, including the absence of an amber warning beacon intended to alert other road users to the vehicle’s presence and slower speed.
Investigators from the force’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit said the missing beacon was the main causal factor in the collision.
Police also found the trailer brakes were not working and were not connected to the tractor cab. The hydraulic line between the tractor and trailer was poorly maintained, while the lighting cable had been secured using baler twine.
The trailer was also overloaded with straw bales, while eyewitnesses confirmed the tractor was not displaying an amber warning light at the time of the crash.
Police Sergeant Michael Straughan, Road Death Lead Investigator with the SCIU, said: “We are pleased to get this sentence for Baker whose tractor and trailer were not only in a poor condition but crucially were also not displaying the amber hazard beacon.”
He said the lack of the beacon meant Dr Lee was not properly alerted to the slow-moving vehicle ahead.
“The lack of that beacon meant Steven was not properly alerted to its presence on the road, nor able to judge its speed properly which would have been less than 25mph on a road which has a maximum of 70mph for most road users. This neglect resulted in the fatal collision and the needless loss of life.”
Straughan added that no sentence could make up for the loss suffered by Dr Lee’s family and friends.
“We know that no sentence can ever make up for the loss they have suffered, but we hope today’s result will help Steven’s family and friends at what remains an incredibly difficult time, with this incredibly tragic loss of life for a bright young man who has his whole life ahead of him.”
Dr Lee’s family and friends have since established a foundation in his memory to support new riders and improve motorcycle road safety in England and Wales.