A YOUNG father suffered appalling head injuries after a lorry swerved across six lanes of a busy motorway and ploughed into his car.

Simon Pennington, a 27-year-old father of one, died in hospital three days after the crash on the M60 at Barton Bridge, near Eccles in March last year.

Lorry driver Michael Turner, aged 43, who has denied causing death by dangerous driving, said that he swerved to avoid a lorry which had broken down.

The wheels on his Mercedes truck locked and he skidded across the South bound carriageway ploughing through the central reservation and crashing into Mr Pennington's VW Golf.

Turner's vehicle then hit a Ford Escort before smashing through crash barriers leaving the truck teetering over the edge of the bridge more than 90 feet above the Manchester Ship Canal.

Mr Pennington -- described as "fit, healthy and a keen cricketer" -- died in Hope Hospital, Salford.

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

Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, heard that Turner should have seen the lorry from 1,300 metres away and had good time to make room to pass it but he was not looking ahead properly.

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

Vehicles in other lanes were slowing down expecting Turner to pull out but he failed to even indicate, said Mr Baker.

The prosecutor said Turner, of Mallard Drive, Birchwood, Warrington, only spotted the broken down lorry as he was about to hit it from behind.

He slammed on the brakes and turned the steering wheel, just five and half metres away from the lorry, causing his Mercedes LGV to veer to the right.

Moments after the impact Turner got out of his cab and pointed out the Volvo lorry to an off duty policewoman saying: "One minute he wasn't there and the next he was. I was going to hit the back of it."

A tachograph reading taken from his vehicle revealed he had been travelling at 56mph at the time he slammed on the brakes. Mr Baker said: "The prosecution says this defendant could not have been looking ahead of him properly.

"He would have seen this obstruction and changed lanes in good time or address his position to squeeze past this lorry.

"He only looked ahead of him moments before he was about to hit the back of the other lorry."

The tragedy occurred in March last year as Turner -- who is based in St Helens -- was on his way to collect a trailer from a yard at Carrington. He was treated in hospital himself after being left shaken by the accident.

Turner later told police he had seen the Volvo lorry from up to 400 metres 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.

There were cars all around him and no gap and so he had to take evasive action. He denied taking his eyes off the road and pleads not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

The trial continues.