Man jailed after using mobile phone before fatal collision on the M58
Friday, September 19, 2025
A man has been jailed for causing the death of another man in a fatal collision on the M58.
Danny Aitchison's daughter Ella was only 15, and had just begun sitting her GCSEs, when her dad was killed by Neil Platt, who was scrolling on his phone whilst driving his HGV on the M58 near to Skelmersdale.
Today, Platt was jailed.
Before we tell you about the impact Daniel’s death had on his family, we want to remind you of what happened that day, which you may remember us telling you about at the time.
On 17th May 2024, Daniel (pictured below) had picked up his Hyundai Kona, a company car, from a garage in Blackpool and was driving home. He was on the phone to his partner, safely using a hands-free device, when the call cut off abruptly.
Neil Platt was driving his HGV from Dumfries in Scotland to Liverpool. Despite telling us that he never touched his phone, his in-cab footage shows him reaching to touch his phone, scrolling on a number of social media applications.
In the meantime, traffic had slowed to a stop. Daniel’s vehicle had been stationary for around a minute. Platt didn’t see the traffic stop as in the seconds before the collision he was using the ‘X’ app on his phone.
He collided with the rear of Daniel’s car, killing him instantly.
Platt was travelling at 54mph before the collision, only breaking 35 metres ahead of Daniel’s car. The impact forced the Kona into the back of a second, stationary HGV. The Kona set on fire following the collision, leaving it unrecognisable.
Emergency services arrived on scene, where Daniel was sadly pronounced dead.
Platt was spoken to in the back of our police car, where he told officers that he only touched his phone to check his journey time.
He maintained in interview, in a prepared statement that he only looked at his phone to check the sat nav.
An investigation found that Platt had continually accessed the apps WhatsApp, Facebook, ‘X’ and TikTok, on his journey and in the lead up to the collision, and the in-cab dashcam footage showed him touching what is understood to be his phone in a phone-holder on his dashboard. He only looked up at the road ahead fleetingly for the 45 seconds that he was interacting with his phone.
Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Neil Platt (pictured below left), 43, of Daniel Close, Bootle, Merseyside, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving.
He pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court and today appeared in the dock where he was sentenced to 10 years. He was also disqualified from driving for 13 years and 8 months and will be subject to an extended driving test once passed.
Daniel’s family prepared victim impact statements to be read to the court, and with their permission, we want to share some excerpts with you.
Daniel’s partner Kerry, who is also mum to his two children, Ella, 17 and 10-year-old Jack, said:
“When Danny was killed, I was on the phone to him, we were having a normal conversation about daily life, we used to speak on the phone regularly throughout the day.
“When he was hit the phone went off immediately. I thought his battery had run out of charge, I continually tried to call him back without success.
“I heard there had been a crash on the M58 motorway, I assumed Danny was therefore stuck in the traffic with no charge on his phone battery. I never thought at that time that he was involved in it or had come to any harm.”
Kerry continued her statement, referencing the moment she found out about Daniel’s death: “I was in floods of tears and inconsolable. I can remember it was a nice sunny day, and I could hear the children playing in the garden. I continually thought I am going to walk into this house and change their lives forever. Telling the kids is and always will be the hardest thing I will do in my lifetime.”
She ended her statement with: “Danny was in my life for 23 years; he knew everything about me, and we did everything together. He was the one I was meant to be with and now the children have also lost their dad.
“I feel angry that he has lost his life in such a way especially as he was coming home from work. He didn’t do anything wrong – he was just coming home to me and the kids. I loved Danny with all my heart and life will never be the same again.”
Kerry and Daniel’s 17-year-old daughter Ella also provided a victim impact statement. She has allowed us to use a section of the recording, which was played to the court.
In her statement, Ella said: “When my dad died, I was one week into my GCSE’s. On the night of the 16th, I had run out of flashcards and had a chemistry exam the next day.
“It was later in the evening when I had called my dad from my nans and instantly, he was up in the car in a pair of sliders on the way to Asda. He was able to get the last stack of flashcards.”
She continued: “I haven’t written on them flashcards since, I didn’t want to see them run out. There are times when life has gotten difficult, with moments where I think ‘I just want my dad.’”
Speaking of her dad, Ella said: “Life has never been the same since he died. He was a good man, driven by family and a pure love of life. Even at a funeral, he could bring it to life and offer a proper commemoration to who they were.
“He was special, and he let everyone else know they were too. When I read my part of the eulogy, and looked to the people paying respects, the crowds that couldn’t all fit through the door, I looked upon all the lives he had touched, and I hope for justice to who he was, like he honoured everyone else.
“There is a death of all things since last year; what was and what could have been – the memories never made and plans never fulfilled.
“You didn’t mean to kill my dad, and all that died alongside him, but you must have known your actions could have killed someone.”
Daniel’s mum Jeanette described her eldest son as “witty and cheeky”, her statement read: “Danny was a family man, strong in body and mind. When his dad died Danny kept us together, as the oldest son he stepped up as a father figure and took great responsibility.
“The death of Danny has impacted us all; Danny had a good relationship with every member of our family, he was a constant presence in their lives, he was the centre of our family.
“Danny was always there for our family, his extended relatives, his friends and his colleagues. Danny would do anything to help anyone.”
Speaking of the impact of Platt using his mobile phone, she said: “The decision to drive whilst scrolling for a prolonged period of time on a mobile phone, let alone whilst using a large vehicle is utterly crazy, the disregarding of their training, their company procedures whilst at work has resulted in the death of our loved one who is missed by so many people.”
DS Matthew Davidson, of our Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “Firstly, I want to talk about Danny’s family. They have shown exceptional strength, especially his two children, who at such young ages have suffered an unimaginable loss, and have shown such bravery throughout proceedings.
“I know, from the way that his family have spoken about him, that Danny was a much-loved man, who was well respected in his community. He was simply on his way home from work to his family – a journey that many of us make daily.
“Danny got in his car that day, with the intention of making it home safely. Neil Platt, whose job was to drive a heavy goods vehicle got into his cab and knowingly scrolled mindlessly on his phone as he was driving.
“I don’t doubt that Platt knew the devastation his actions could have caused. The dangers of using your phone whilst driving is so often spoken about, yet Platt recklessly ignored it. His selfish decision took the life of a father, partner, brother and son.
“Our investigation was a complex one, and I thank my team for their hard work and dedication to getting justice for Danny.
“No sentence will bring Danny back to his loved ones, and it is not for me to comment on the sentence handed down today. What I do want to do, is to send a message to anyone who thinks it is acceptable to use their mobile phone whilst driving.
“Let me make it clear. It is not ok. It is dangerous, it is selfish, and it takes lives. If you are someone who thinks it’s ok to check their phone whilst driving, whether it is in a phone holder or not, I hope this serves as a reminder to you.
“Next time you get in a car, you’re travelling, and you reach for your phone, I want you to think of Danny. Think of his children, his partner, his mum and his loved ones, and remember that you could also so easily cause this level of devastation, all for the sake of checking your social media.”
If you know of someone, or spot someone using their phone whilst driving, please do the responsible thing and report it to us when it is safe to do so. You can call 101, or if a crime is ongoing, always report it to 999.
