Inquest into man killed in crash on A43 near Corby finds fatal collision ‘possibly due to sleep deprivation’

Ipyana Chimangafisi Maseko, 43, was travelling northbound on the A43 coming home from a friend’s house in Coventry at about 2.30am when his car, a BMW 118D, for ‘unknown reasons’ swerved into the incorrect lane.

The driver of an oncoming HGV food delivery truck going southbound entered the northbound lane to take evasive action, however Maseko attempted to re-enter the northbound lane two seconds prior to the crash, causing a fatal offside to offside collision in the centre of the road.

In an inquest held at the Guildhall in Northampton on Wednesday (July 2), Northamptonshire’s senior coroner Anne Pember’s conclusion was ‘one of a road traffic collision’, however deferred to Officer Jennifer Ridgley’s assessment that tiredness and fatigue may have played a role and that the crash was ‘possibly due to sleep deprivation.’

Dean Baynes, the driver of the HGV which collided with Ipyana’s car, was present in court and issued a tearful apology to Ipyana’s sister and father who oversaw the inquest remotely from Malawi.

In a statement read out by the coroner, he said: "I was travelling on the road near Bulwick and suddenly there was a car driving in the other direction but on my side of the road.

“I tried to avoid it but I couldn’t. I thought the car was under me. For an extended period of time I couldn’t get out of the lorry, I was scared of what I was going to see.”

To Mr Baynes, coroner Anne Pember said: “I do not think there was anything you could have done to avoid this tragedy.”

Dashcam footage from Mr Baynes’ lorry show that six seconds before the crash, headlights could be seen in the distance, however it wasn’t yet clear that the car was on the incorrect side of the road - only two seconds before the collision it became apparent.

The collision was witnessed by HGV driver, Ardit Katana, who called 999 and attended to Maseko during the incident which he says lasted around five to six minutes from the moment of the collision to the moment police arrived.

In a statement, he said: “I heard a noise coming from the BMW, a male was breathing very loudly. I began talking to the male, asking for his name and telling him help was coming, but he was not responding."

Ipyana was pronounced dead just before 6am on Monday, March 16, 2024.

Mr Maseko, an electrical engineer by trade, grew up in Malawi before attending Cape Town University and later the University of Hull and Southampton Solent.

He lived in Peterborough and was travelling home when the crash occurred.

He was the only person in the car.

Northamptonshire Police forensic collision investigator Jennifer Ridgley said the weather was fine and clear and visibility was only adverse due to it being at night, and that speed was ‘not considered to be a contributory factor.’

Mr Maseko had 72mg/100ml of alcohol in his system, less that the legal limit of 80mg/100ml so it was not believed to have been the cause of his death. It was also noted that there was no reason to believe there were mechanical issues in the car.

Ms Ridgley added: “In my opinion that driver fatigue was the cause of the collision.

"I can find no evidence of reckless driving on the part of Mr Baynes. I do not believe Mr Maseko’s actions to be intentional.

"I’m sorry for your loss.”