A truck driver has been sentenced to a decade behind bars after being found responsible for the deaths of two Ryanair pilots and the injury of their taxi driver in a catastrophic motorway collision.
Captain Matthew Greenhalgh, aged 28, and Senior First Officer Jamie Fernandes, 24, were passengers in a taxi that was tragically ‘crushed’ between two trucks.
In a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court, 63-year-old Anthony Burns admitted to two charges of causing death by dangerous driving and one charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
The pilots were en route to Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport when the accident occurred on the westbound M62 near Warrington, Cheshire, at 5:31 am on July 11 of the previous year.
Traffic on the road, which typically has a speed limit of 70 mph, was slowed to an advisory limit of 40 mph due to congestion caused by a previous incident that had closed the road ahead.
The fatal incident took place amidst heavy rain and poor visibility due to spray.
Both men died at the scene having suffered unsurvivable multiple injuries, while taxi driver Rashid Mehmood, who ‘miraculously’ was conscious despite having suffered broken ribs and a broken shoulder, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Mr Mehmood, who was driving the pilots back from Luton Airport to Liverpool Airport, where they were based, had stopped behind a lorry at the back of the traffic jam.
Despite the advisory reduced speed limit, Burns’ lorry had been travelling at 56mph and is estimated to have struck the taxi at 50mph.
Lorry driver Anthony Burns arrives at Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing this morning
Eyewitness said Burns only braked one second before impact with the rear of Mr Mehmood’s Toyota taxi, which was shunted into the rear of a lorry.
Damian Nolan, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court the taxi had sustained ‘devastating crush damage on all sides’ and had been rotated 180 degrees in the road.
Burns’ Scania 44-tonne lorry came to rest between lanes two and three of the motorway.
Describing the miracle survival of the taxi driver, Mr Nolan said a police officer ‘heard a voice shouting for help’.
He said: ‘At first, he couldn’t see anyone before a hand then appeared from the wreckage. A head then appeared. It was Mr Mehmood who was conscious and breathing. Remarkably, he had survived the impact’.
Both pilots, who had fallen asleep during the taxi journey, suffered traumatic head injuries and ‘other multiple injuries’.
The court heard Burns was not on his phone or under the influence of drink and drugs. Another driver speculated it was ‘as if he had fallen asleep’ at the wheel.
His lorry was found to have two minor defects but neither were deemed contributory factors, police found.
The court heard Burns’ had a clean 30-year record as a commercial driver except for receiving three penalty points for carrying an unsafe load in 2021.
But he had 28 previous convictions in the 1980s and 1990s, receiving suspended jail terms for arson and assault.
Senior First Officer Jamie Fernandes, 24, left, and Captain Matthew Greenhalgh, 28, were passengers in a taxi when it was in a collision with two lorries.
Sentencing Burns to 10 years, Judge Simon Medland KC said Burns had ‘shown a lack of attention for a substantial period of time’.
He told the families of Mr Fernandes and Mr Greenhalgh: ‘My sympathy and commiseration lies with each of you’.
Burns gave an indication of guilty pleas in a hearing before an earlier hearing at Warrington Magistrates’ Court in November.
Mr Greenhalgh had married his wife Hannah in Las Vegas just three months before the tragedy.
In a tribute after his death, his family said: ‘Matt had a passion for life and seized every opportunity that came his way. He had already achieved so much in such a short life, with so much more planned.
‘Matt discovered his ambition for becoming a pilot in his teenage years, following a flying lesson that was gifted by his aunt.
‘His hard work and determination led to a successful career with Ryanair, recently being promoted to Captain. He loved the skies and flying, never growing tired of the scenic views from the cockpit.
‘Matt was a keen sportsman; in his younger years enjoying rugby and cricket, and more recently golf and cycling. He wanted to try anything and everything, constantly seeking new adventures.’
They added: ‘We take comfort that we will hold so many fantastic memories of our time with him. He was a loving husband, thoughtful son, loyal brother, caring grandson, respected colleague and valued friend.
‘We are lost without you. You are forever in our hearts.’
Mr Fernandes’ family said: ‘Jamie was living his best life and had so many plans for the future. In his too short life he packed in so much and made the most of every moment.
‘We are grateful that he had achieved the dream he had had from childhood of flying. He looked forward to every day at work where it is obvious he was with a very special family of colleagues and friends, and as he said, ‘The sun always shines above the clouds’.
‘Jamie loved spending time with his friends, playing golf, squash and was a keen hockey player. All of his friends from both school and the flying community were hugely important to him. He was so very kind and had a wicked sense of humour.
‘We have been truly overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and affection to our family which shows what a special young man Jamie was and how he clearly touched the lives of more people than we could ever have imagined.
‘Our darling boy was a loving son, grandson, nephew and cousin. He is the light of our lives and always will be.’
After the tragedy Ryanair said it would erect a plaque in memory of the two pilots at the East Midlands Training Centre and also establish the ‘Matt Greenhalgh and Jamie Fernandes Memorial Award’, to be presented to the top performing cadet each year.
