SHOCKING MISTAKE
Watch terrifying moment reckless driver narrowly misses lorry after trying to perform dangerous high-speed overtake
THIS is the terrifying moment a car runs out of time while racing to overtake a lorry - before hitting a grass verge and flipping over.
The driver had been attempting to get past a tanker driven by Paul Horsfall on an A-road when he mistimed the manoeuvre and skidded off the road.
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Former bus driver Horsfall, 44, found himself in the dock after the motorist accused him of deliberately moving his Scania lorry to block the road.
But the defendant denied dangerous driving - and said he'd simply moved over because he thought he'd spotted a brick in the road, reports.
During a trial at Oxford Magistrates' Court, prosecutors allege Horsfall had spotted the Vauxhall Corsa attempting to overtake on the A420.
He deliberately squeezed out the vehicle by moving to the offside of the carriageway as the road went from two lanes to one, it was claimed.
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Peter Ryman, for the Crown, said: “This is a piece of driving that fell far below the standard of a careful and competent driver.”
But Horsfall said he'd moved for an obstruction.
Dash cam footage captured in his cab showed that, despite his claims, there wasn't a brick in the carriageway.
“I did check my mirrors, but I couldn’t see anything down the side of me," he told the court.
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Asked if he'd deliberately swerved to block the hatchback, he replied: “Never in my dreams would I do that.
"It’s dangerous driving and a lorry could be a lethal weapon."
He said he was "shocked" and "shaking" after watching the horrific crash.
It was heard that the driver of the crashed Corsa had been dealt with separately for careless driving.
Horsfall, of Odiham, Hants., was acquitted of dangerous driving but convicted of an alternative charge of careless driving.
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The lorry driver had offered to plead guilty to careless driving at an earlier point in the proceedings.
He was fined £300, handed five penalty points and ordered to pay £119 in costs.
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