A recovery technician has died after a driver fell asleep at the wheel on the M69 in Leicestershire.

Ashley Wilkes, 28, veered off the motorway and struck Christopher Hadland, who was securing a BMW onto his recovery truck on the hard shoulder.

The married father-of-two died instantly as he was thrown across the northbound carriageway on Tuesday 10 October.

The driver of the broken-down BMW suffered a broken vertebrae in her back whilst sitting in the cab of the recovery truck.

Wilkes admitted causing Mr Hadland’s death by dangerous driving and injuring Ms Ciobanu by dangerous driving, between junction one, for the A5 at Hinckley and junction two, for Sapcote.

Related: Renewed concern for roadside recovery agents following M6 crash 

He now faces a two year prison sentence and has been banned from driving for six years.

Nigel Bannister, prosecuting, said it was a fine, dry day with good visibility and the recovery truck’s flashing beacon was on when Wilkes van veered sharply to the left and collided with the rear of the recovery truck.

“It struck Mr Hadland with such force he was thrown across the carriageway,” he added.

Judge Ebraham Mooncey said: “It’s pretty clear if someone isn’t fit to drive and they’re tired, they shouldn’t drive.

“I’m sure when you got behind the steering wheel that morning you didn’t expect anything bad to happen.

“But one person has lost their life and another person’s life has changed forever.”

The incident marks the fourth death of a roadside recovery operator in the last 12 months.

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