A LORRY driver who killed a 21-year-old woman while choosing music to play on his mobile phone has been jailed for four-and-half years.

In a warning to other drivers, police have released harrowing footage of the moment North Yorkshire trucker Dariusz Tokarczyk ploughed into a stationary broken down car last March.

Jodie Moss, whose Vauxhall Corsa had developed engine problems as she was driving to see her boyfriend when, died following the massive impact with the HGV driven by Tokarczyk, of Kennion Road, Harrogate.

Reading Crown Court was shown footage from the 47-year-old North Yorkshire man's dashcam, which showed him using his mobile phone for a significant period before smashing into Miss Moss's car, which had its hazard lights flashing on the A34 at Chieveley, Berkshire.

The Northern Echo:

Jodie Moss

The footage shows a relatively quiet road with the car in front of Tokarczyk moving from the inside lane to the outside to avoid the Corsa, while the lorry fails to brake or take avoiding action, despite the hazard lights having been in view for nearly 12 seconds.

Tokarczyk pleaded guilty to causing the death of Miss Moss, from Swindon, Wiltshire, by dangerous driving and was also banned from driving for 51 months.

Judge Angela Morris told Tokarczyk using his phone while driving the truck he had been "irresponsible, reckless and thoughtless".

After the case the Jerry Moss, Miss Moss's father, said: "She was taken far too early by a selfish ten-second act. The driver had plenty of time to act."

He added that the "devastation caused is immeasurable".

Detective sergeant Ashley Hannibal, senior investigating officer, said: “This is a tragic case, which could have so easily been avoided. The driver was using his phone.

“Officers and forensic investigators painstakingly examined the dashcam footage from the inside of the lorry looking out onto the road. After watching the footage frame by frame they managed to spot the reflection of what transpired to be the lit screen of a mobile phone held by the lorry driver.

“While this sentence will not take away the pain and feelings of loss for Jodie’s family and friends, I hope that it will send a message to all drivers about the dangers of using mobile phones.

“Sadly, this case is not an isolated incident it is one of many that we have been or are investigating, which show the tragic and awful consequences of using a mobile phone while you are driving.”