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Rowan Day was travelling home from work on his black motorcycle when a lorry jack-knifed in front of him. There was nothing he could do to avoid a collision; Rowan tragically died at the scene.
Rowan was a much-loved husband, father and grandfather.
In a victim personal impact statement read to the court, it was heartbreaking to hear how Rowan’s wife and family have been devastated by his death. In the statement Mrs Day said she felt the driver had made a mistake which had consequences that have changed her own life, her sons and granddaughters life for ever; the pain it has caused was incredible.
Alan Howe, 55 of Thorn Close, Soham, Ely, pleaded guilty part way through a trial at Lincoln Crown Court and was sentenced to nine months in custody suspended for two years. He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined £1000.
The collision happened just before midday on Thursday 3 November 2022.
Rowan Day who was 63-years-old, was travelling home to the Grantham area; he had been at work. He was riding his black BMW 800 motorbike when he was presented with the HGV jack-knifing across both lanes, leaving him very little or no time to react.
Howe was driving a white Mercedes Actros articulated lorry on the A151 Corby Road at Grimsthorpe, towards Bourne. After he had negotiated a left-hand bend, the nearside wheels of his HGV left the carriageway going onto the grass verge. Howe’s attempt to prevent the lorry falling into the nearside ditch resulted in the lorry jack-knifing and crossing into the path of Rowan Day’s motorcycle.
Tachograph data showed the lorry had been travelling around 30 mph as it left the road. Witnesses described how prior to the collision the lorry was being driven in a safe and considerate manner.