A FATHER-OF-TWO has died and a Polish lorry driver charged with causing his death after a car was involved in a collision with a heavy goods vehicle on the A53.
Peter Henry Skupien, 41, of Morley Street, Leek, was driving his red Ford Mondeo on the A53 at Quarnford, near the Staffordshire and Derbyshire border, last Wednesday.
The collision occurred at around 3.20pm and Grzegorz Barcicki, 34, a Polish national lorry driver, has been charged with causing death by driving without due care and attention.
Barcicki, who suffered minor injuries and did not require hospital treatment, is being held in police custody and is due to appear at Stokeon- Trent Magistrates’ Court today (Wednesday).
Leek Morrisons worker Mr Skupien, a dad to Molly and Jack, was pronounced dead at the scene and the road was closed from its junction with Grin Low Road until around 10.50pm.
An ambulance crew, a paramedic in a rapid response vehicle and an incident support officer were sent to the scene.
Eye witnesses said that the Mr Skupien’s car had suffered significant front end damage and that he was trapped in the vehicle. Julie Harvey, a barmaid at nearby pub The Winking Man, was driving past at the time of the smash.
She said: “The lorry was jackknifed in a ditch and the red car was completely crumpled. All of the bonnet was crumpled and there was a lot of debris in the road.”
The A53 has been reported as a high-risk road for several years. The 12-mile stretch between Leek and Buxton has in the past been named the most dangerous road in the West Midlands.
Between 2003 and 2005, there were 14 fatal and serious injury collisions along the road.
Mr Skupien’s family were too distressed to comment on their loss, but it is understood that he leaves behind a wife as well as two young children.
An inquest into the death was due to be opened this week.
Police are appealing for the driver of a white van which was in traffic behind the Mondeo, but did not stop at the scene, to come forward.
Sergeant David Shenton, from Kidsgrove Police, said: “The van driver was three vehicles behind the Mondeo and is potentially a significant witness who we are very keen to speak to.”
The driver, or anyone else with information, is asked to telephone Sgt Shenton on 0300 123 4455, quoting incident number 429 of December 16.