Driver avoids jail after passenger died when lorry crashed and flipped

A LORRY driver has avoided jail after one of his passengers died when the lorry he was driving crashed and flipped.

- Molly SEAMAN

Michael Ronner, of Summer House Way in Warmley, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.

The 39-year-old was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months.

Bristol Crown Court heard how Ronner was driving a scaffolding lorry with two passengers on the A4174 in Mangotsfield on the evening of December 5, 2023 when the lorry crashed into the central reservation and flipped.

One passenger, 20-year-old Tyler Carley, suffered a fatal head injury and died at the scene.

Ronner was arrested at the scene and was later charged.

At the time, Tyler's family said he “will always be hugely missed” and “his death left a massive hole in everyone's heart”.

The second passenger in the lorry, Cameron Williams, died by suicide in 2024 aged just 19, having been left traumatised by Tyler’s death.

Designated Investigative Officer, Noelie Poupard, said: “Tyler was a much-loved young man with his whole life ahead of him.