Driver jailed after unsecured drilling rig caused crash that killed Newquay woman

A driver has been jailed after failing to secure a trailer load which later fell into the path of another vehicle, killing a 34-year-old woman near Helston.

Liam Smith, 35, from Roselidden Park in Helston, was sentenced at Truro Crown Court on 10 December after previously admitting causing the death of Jessica Allman by dangerous driving. He was also disqualified from driving and must take an extended re-test to regain his licence.

The court heard the collision happened on 19 July 2022. Smith had loaded a Beretta T24 hydraulic drilling rig onto a two-axle platform trailer in Newquay, securing it with one ratchet strap placed over the mast. Despite being assisted by a colleague, the responsibility for securing the load rested with Smith.

CCTV later captured the trailer travelling through Callestick and on the A30 with the single strap still in place. Smith then stopped at Macsalvors in Redruth but failed to check the load before leaving. Footage showed the trailer and drilling rig in the car park, but no strap was visible securing the equipment.

Smith continued towards Helston and at around 1:30pm entered Burras, where Jessica Allman was travelling in the opposite direction in her Fiat Punto. As Smith negotiated a left-hand bend, the drilling rig fell from the trailer and struck Jessica’s car. Smith stopped a short distance up the road.

Police said emergency services found a worn ratchet strap broken in two pieces at the scene. Seven other straps were in the vehicle or trailer but had not been used, and several were described as being in an advanced state of wear.

Officers also found that the combined weight of the Ford Ranger, trailer and drilling rig exceeded restrictions, contributing to vehicle instability.

DC Helen Lentern, from the Serious Collisions Investigation Team, said: “This collision was the culmination of Smith’s wholesale disregard of the security of the load and safety of other road users.

“If an adequate number of lashings had been used in conjunction with blocking, then the failure of a single strap should not have results in load movement.

“The single strap used by Smith was in an advance state of wear and should have been discarded long before this collision.”

She added that securing heavy plant now requires a combination of loading or packing to a bulkhead and a minimum of four direct lashings.

“This collision was entirely preventable and Jessica Allman was a blameless member of the public,” she said. “Nothing will ever bring Jessica back but we hope her family are now able to feel some closure following the conclusion of the case.”

Jessica Allman, from Newquay, worked as a Young People Adviser supporting mental health, education and employment. She had just left a café in Helston and was travelling to her next appointment in Pool when the collision happened.