A 45-year-old Nigerian-British taxi driver, Kolawole Erunkulu, has been sentenced to six years in prison after falling asleep behind the wheel and causing the death of a 59-year-old man in Surrey, United Kingdom.

Erunkulu was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving following the fatal crash on the A23 in Merstham.

Crash Happened Early In The Morning

The fatal incident occurred shortly before 6:30am on August 17, 2025.

Erunkulu was driving an Audi when the vehicle suddenly swerved across the A23 and struck Philip Dray, who had safely parked his Volkswagen in a layby and was attempting to get back into his vehicle.

Dray died at the scene.

Driver Had Worked For 53 Hours In Three Days

Evidence presented to the court showed that Erunkulu had driven for approximately 53 hours during the three days leading up to the crash.

His longest recorded rest period was seven hours, while other breaks lasted about four hours and two hours.

Immediately before the collision, Erunkulu had reportedly been working for around 12 hours with only brief breaks.

Camera Captured Driver Falling Asleep

The seriousness of the incident was further highlighted by footage from a camera installed inside Erunkulu’s vehicle.

The footage reportedly showed him falling into what is known as “microsleep”, brief episodes of sleep that can last only a few seconds.

During one of the episodes, the Audi veered across the carriageway and struck Dray.

The vehicle continued moving for another 10 seconds before eventually stopping at the next layby.

Judge Says Crash Could Have Been Prevented

Her Honour Judge Lees told the court that the footage showed Erunkulu was “extremely tired” and had continued driving despite being aware of his condition.

The judge said the tragedy could have been avoided if Erunkulu had stopped driving and gone to sleep.

Driver Disqualified For Eight Years

Erunkulu was charged in March 2026 and pleaded guilty in June.

On August 25, 2026, Guildford Crown Court sentenced him to six years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving.

The court heard that the driver could have received a nine-year sentence had he been convicted following a trial.

In addition to the prison term, Erunkulu was disqualified from driving for eight years.

If he seeks to regain his driving licence after the disqualification period, he will also be required to undergo an extended driving test.

The case has highlighted the potentially fatal consequences of driving while severely fatigued, particularly for professional drivers who spend long hours on the road.