Truck Driver Looking at Porn Fatally Struck Father of 2 — Now He Learns Fate By Ben Brachfeld

A British truck driver who smashed into a car, killing a father of two while distractedly scrolling through social media, has learned his fate.

Neil Platt, 43, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving in connection with a May 2024 crash that took the life of Danny Aitchison, 46, according to a news release from the Lancashire Constabulary.

Aitchison was stuck in traffic on his way home in Skelmersdale, Lancashire and was chatting with his partner, Kerry, on a hands-free device when the call abruptly cut off, police said in the release.

Meanwhile, Platt was on the job driving a truck to Liverpool and, according to dash cam footage, scrolling through his phone and looking at social media.

Platt did not see traffic had slowed down in the seconds before he barreled his truck into Aitchison’s stationary Hyundai at 54 mph, killing Aitchison instantly. The force of the crash caused the Hyundai to smash into another truck ahead of him and ultimately burst into flames.

Platt was apprehended and allegedly told police he only touched his phone to check the time and GPS. But a review of the phone showed he had been looking at various apps, including X, Facebook, WhatsApp and TikTok.

“He only looked up at the road ahead fleetingly for the 45 seconds that he was interacting with his phone,” the release states.

Some of the content Platt viewed before the fatal crash was “pornographic in nature,” Judge Ian Unsworth KC shared in court, according to the LBC.

The judge told Platt he was a “multi-ton accident waiting to happen,” per the BBC, adding that his “arrogant and selfish attitude to driving was quite breathtaking.”

Aitchison’s partner Kerry, with whom he shared two children, said at sentencing they had been chatting about “daily life” and when the call cut out, she thought he had simply run out of battery.

“Danny was in my life for 23 years; he knew everything about me, and we did everything together,” said Kerry, per Lancashire police. “He was the one I was meant to be with and now the children have also lost their dad.”

Their daughter Ella, then 15, was preparing for a major chemistry exam the following day and had asked her father to bring home flashcards so she could study.

“I haven’t written on the flashcards since, I didn’t want to see them run out,” Ella said at sentencing. “There are times when life has gotten difficult, with moments where I think ‘I just want my dad.’”