Shocking dashcam footage shows the moment a lorry tipped over and was left overhanging the A14 last year - with debris hitting a vehicle below.
Dashcam footage released by Suffolk police shows Petru-ionut Lungu's meat lorry tipping over at the Copdock interchange on Friday, June 7 last year.
Debris was shed onto the road below as a result of the crash, which damaged two vehicles and caused minor injuries to one driver.
Traffic was halted on the eastbound carriageway while emergency services dealt with the incident, which led to severe disruption in the area, with traffic left queuing on routes through Ipswich, where a Rod Stewart concert was taking place at Portman Road the same evening.
MORE: Copdock lorry crash driver banned from roadRemoval of the lorry took until the following morning, but disruption continued throughout the weekend as urgent repairs were carried out to the bridge.
The bridge finally reopened the following Monday.
Lungu, 33, of St Martins Green, Trimley St Martin, who already had six points on his licence, pleaded guilty to careless driving on February 28.
Appearing at Suffolk Magistrates' Court on Monday, Lungu received a further nine points on his licence, taking him to 15.
He received a six-month totting up ban and was fined £562.
Lungu was also ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £56.
Driver of lorry left overhanging Ipswich A14 banned
ROXY LOUISE SIER
A man has been banned from driving after his lorry toppled over and was left dangling above a dual carriageway.
Petru-ionut Lungu, 33, of Trimley St Martin, Suffolk, admitted careless driving relating to the 7 June crash.
Ipswich Magistrates' Court heard he drove "at speed" around the Copdock roundabout that links the A12 and A14.
He was given nine points, which with the six already on his licence, meant he was disqualified from driving for six months. He was also fined £562.
NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK ROADS POLICING
Dashcam footage shown to the court showed the lorry going through a set of lights "on amber if not red" at about 17:00 BST, the prosecution said.
It then toppled over on the bridge above the A14, causing part of a railing to drop on to a vehicle below.
The bridge was closed for two days following the crash for repairs to take place.
HIGHWAYS ENGLAND
Lungu, of St Martins Green, who had minor injuries in the crash, admitted he was driving at speed but denied it was excessive.
During mitigation, it was heard he had been a lorry driver for nine years and had done the same journey on "numerous occasions and never had issues with the lorry or load" before.
Sentencing him, magistrates said they had taken into consideration the "seriousness of the offence and the impact it caused to drivers whose vehicles were damaged and the community by having this junction closed".
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