Dashcam caught the moment truck driver ‘fell asleep’ at the wheel

FOOTAGE captured the moment a driver allegedly fell asleep at the wheel and ploughed into traffic. WARNING: Distressing content.

WARNING: Distressing content

THIS is the shocking moment a truck driver smashed into stationary traffic after falling asleep at the wheel.

Mariusz Wlazlo, 47, was jailed after he ploughed his fully-loaded HGV into two cars at more than 60km/h on a busy motorway, The Sun reported.

Dashcam footage from the truck and from another nearby car shows how the vehicle was speeding up at the time of the crash.

The black Volkswagen Polo is shunted into a silver Toyota Verso in front before it is forced across the other two lanes.

Mariusz Wlazlo was jailed over the crash. Picture: West Midlands Police

The Toyota is spun 360 degrees off the road as the truck swerves around a third car into the middle of the road, where it comes to a halt.

Footage from the rear of the third car shows the truck approaching at speed and smashing into both other vehicles, as the driver of the car with rear-cam footage manages to drive onto the hard shoulder out of the way.

Dashcam footage shows the truck driver smashing into two cars at over 60km/h. Picture: West Midlands Police

The two cars appeared to be at a standstill at the time of the collision. Picture: West Midlands Police

Wlazlo, who was an agency driver working for a British transport and logistics business owned by Edward Stobart at the time of the crash, was in a 60km/h zone of the southbound M6 near Great Barr in Birmingham, England at the time of impact.

The Polo driver, a woman in her 50s, spent weeks in hospital where she was treated for broken ribs and fractures to her vertebrae.

The Toyota driver was released from hospital after treatment for back and neck pain.

The M6 southbound was closed for 90 minutes after the crash, which happened at around 9.40pm on March 15 this year.

At the scene, Wlazlo told police: “I think I went to sleep for a moment. I can’t explain as I don’t remember. It was like a dream.”

Footage of the crash was caught on dashcams from a number of vehicles. Picture: West Midlands Police

Wlazlo was banned from driving for three years and eight months along with his 16-month jail sentence. Picture: West Midlands Police

Wlazlo, who held a full, clean UK driving licence and had no record of motoring offences in his home country of Poland, initially denied causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He changed his plea to guilty and was jailed for 16 months at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday.

Wlazlo, of Speke, Liverpool, was also banned from driving for three years and eight months, and ordered to take an extended retest.

Police Constable Gareth Phillips, of the Central Motorway Police Group, said: “The collision has had a devastating impact on the victim in the Polo. Although she has made a physical recovery, she now feels unable to drive on the motorway.

“Wlazlo was clearly not paying attention and indeed was accelerating into stationary traffic at the time of impact.

“It shows just how important it is to keep fully focused on the road and surrounding conditions, and to always abide by the speed limit as displayed on gantry signs.

“If the speed he had been travelling had been any higher, this collision would likely have had fatal consequences.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and is republished with permission.