Lorry driver 'did not see cars'

The Staffordshire family were returning to Lichfield from Brittany

A lorry driver accused of killing a family who were crushed in their car did not see any vehicles in front of him before the crash, a court heard.

Ian King's articulated lorry ploughed into a line of vehicles on the A34 near Bicester, Oxon, in July 2006.

Malcolm Dowling, 46, his wife Janice, 42, and sons Richard, 16, and George, 11, from Staffs, were killed instantly.

Mr King, from Groby, Leicestershire, denies four counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

I honestly cannot remember a vehicle being between me and the car transporter Ian King

The Dowling family, who were in a Peugeot 307, were on their way back to Lichfield from a family holiday in France, when they died in the multiple pile-up.

Oxford Crown Court heard that Mr King's lorry struck a Ford Focus before shunting a Renault Laguna over the Dowlings' car.

Mr King's vehicle then rode over the Peugeot into the back of a car transporter lorry.

On Wednesday, a transcript of his interview with police was read out to the jury.

They heard Mr King told officers: "I honestly cannot remember a vehicle being between me and the car transporter.

"I remember seeing the back of the car transporter and the next thing, my windscreen had gone.

"All I can remember was braking, and the next thing there was a fella was trying to pull me out of the cab."

Tragic consequences

The trial heard how Mr King suffers from sleep apnoea - a respiratory problem which disrupts sleep and can cause drowsiness.

The Crown claims Mr King would have been aware he was getting drowsy but did not take appropriate steps to avoid falling asleep at the wheel, with tragic consequences.

Mr King was on the return leg of a trip from Leicester to Southampton to deliver a stone crushing machine when the crash happened.

He had been up since about 0430 GMT and had been driving, with breaks, since before 0700 GMT, on the day of the incident , the court heard.

The trial continues.