A LORRY driver accused of causing the death of a young father from Westhoughton when he careered across six lanes of a busy motorway in his truck, has told how he was "devastated" by the tragedy.

Michael Turner, aged 43, said his life stopped when he received a telephone call telling him about the death of Simon Pennington.

Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard how Turner swerved violently to avoid a stationary lorry broken down on the hard shoulder of the M60 at Barton Bridge near Eccles.

The wheels on his Mercedes truck locked and he skidded across the southbound carriageway of the motorway. It ploughed into the central reservation sending it into the air and crashing into a VW Golf being driven northbound.

The force of the first impact spun the VW Golf through 180 degrees. Its driver, Mr Pennington, 27, who was returning to his home in Westhoughton suffered serious head injuries.

The father of one -- described as "fit, healthy and a keen cricketer" -- died three days later in Hope Hospital in Salford.

Turner's vehicle then hit a Ford Escort before smashing through the crash barriers at the other side, leaving the truck teetering over the edge of the bridge 29m above the Manchester Ship Canal.

Turner, of Mallard Drive, Birchwood, Warrington, told the jury: "It's tragic obviously. There are no words to describe what I felt when I saw Mr Pennington's car, and then when I got a phone call to say he'd died, my life was devastated.

"I couldn't believe I had done that. It is something I think of every day. I will never ever forget it.

"His family and I have to live with that every day. An apology is not enough."

Turner, who has a clean driving licence, had driven the same vehicle for five years, and regularly clocked up about 250 miles a day.

Police investigations revealed the broken down Volvo lorry was wider than the hard shoulder, and was overhanging into the slow lane of the motorway.

Mr William Baker, prosecuting, said Turner should have seen the lorry from 1,300m away, and had good time to make room to pass it, but he was not looking ahead properly.

Mr Baker suggested Turner may have been looking at a map, making a phone call or reaching for a sandwich or drink, in the moments leading up to the accident.

Turner denied becoming distracted as he read a map.

He later told police he had seen the Volvo lorry from up to 400m away, and thought it was moving slowly up the hill of the bridge, as it was heavily laden with goods.

He said he had kept glancing in his mirror for a gap so he could pull out to overtake, but by the time he got near to the Volvo he realised it had broken down.

He denied taking his eyes off the road, and pleads not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

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