Lincolnshire minibus crash workers were unlawfully killed

Five men who died in a minibus crash on a Lincolnshire road were unlawfully killed, a coroner has ruled.

Portuguese driver Orlando Manuel Dos Santos Lourenco and four passengers died in the collision on the A52 near Grantham on 14 February. The Lincoln coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death for Mr Lourenco.

Lorry driver Philip Woolley also died when he was hit by the minibus as Mr Lourenco carried out an "unbelievable overtaking manoeuvre".

Mr Lourenco held an expired Portuguese driving licence at the time of the crash. He was also working long days without the 11 hours break between driving jobs required by law. Recruitment agency Interstaff had also failed to carry out a proper risk assessment or a medical examination for him, the inquest was told.

The four passengers, originally from Hungary, were: Endre Csillag, 38, from Szeghalom; Bela Csendre, 44, from Medgyesegyhaza; Attila Kozma, 35, from Vasarosnameny; and Ferenc Szobacsi, 36, from Szentes. They were being driven from their homes at Cambridge Street, Grantham, to work in Clipstone, Nottinghamshire, at about 0500 GMT, when the minibus hit the lorry.

The inquest, at Lincoln's Cathedral Centre, heard earlier that Mr Lourenco had attempted to overtake a truck on the country road before colliding head-on with the Hovis lorry, driven by Mr Woolley, 40, of Victoria Road, Ripley, Derbyshire. Witnesses described the manoeuvre as unbelievable. The inquest heard two workers - one Hungarian and one Portuguese - survived the crash.

Recording his verdict Mr Atkinson said: "I find that Mr Lourenco died as a result of an accident.

"As far as the remainder of the deceased are concerned, I find that they were unlawfully killed. They died as a result of gross negligence sufficient to warrant a criminal penalty of considerable severity, such as imprisonment. Under the coroner's rules I am not able to name who is responsible for those unlawful killings."

Post-mortem examinations revealed that all six men died from multiple injuries.

A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police said the matter would now be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service who would determine whether a full criminal investigation into the crash should be carried out.

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