Lorry driver denies death charge

Mr Kelly has pleaded not guilty

A man died in an ambulance after it was hit by a lorry whose driver had fallen asleep, a court has been told.

Mark Jenkins, from Swindon, had called for an ambulance while driving on the M4 between Bristol and Bath in August 2002.

He was being treated when the lorry, driven by 54-year-old James Kelly, hit it, Bristol Crown Court was told.

Mr Kelly, from Pontypool, has pleaded not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

The overwhelming likelihood is that Mr Kelly, for whatever reason, fell asleep at the wheel Ray Tully

Mr Jenkins was returning from visiting family in south Wales when he began to feel unwell and pulled over.

He was sitting in the back of the ambulance when the flat-bed lorry, driven by Mr Kelly, collided with it.

Mr Jenkins was pronounced dead at the scene and two paramedics were injured.

Ray Tully, prosecuting, said: "The overwhelming likelihood is that Mr Kelly, for whatever reason, fell asleep at the wheel."

Lorry swerve

Mr Tully told the jury that Mr Kelly was "clearly driving dangerously".

He said witnesses had seen the lorry swerve and drift between lanes one, two and the hard shoulder for some distance before the crash.

Mr Kelly in a police interview, said that he had had a good night's sleep the night before the crash and had only been travelling for about an hour when the collision occurred.

He said he had no recollection of drifting into other lanes or of the collision itself.

The case continues.