Horror on the Road: Father-of-Three Left With Permanent Brain Damage After Steel Plate Falls From Passing Lorry
A father-of-three was left brain-damaged after being hit by a steel plate that fell off the back of a lorry.
Anthony Moore, 51, was minutes from his home when the 5kg solid steel plate crashed through the windscreen of his Ford Ranger, striking his head as the car crashed into the lorry.
His vehicle was then dragged half a mile on the M6 before the driver stopped.
But the lorry driver was handed a fine of just £100 and three penalty points, punishment Mr Moore said was ‘an insult to every road user’.
After being prosecuted for driving with an unsecured load, the driver also had his licence suspended for four weeks by the regional traffic commissioner, who took no action against his company.
Mr Moore sued the driver’s employer and parent company, winning a six-figure out-of-court settlement.
He said the initial penalty was ‘beyond belief’.
‘My life has been destroyed because somebody failed to do one basic thing – secure a load properly.
‘I’m lost for words at just how minimal the consequences have been for those involved in causing this near-death incident.
+5
View gallery
Anthony Moore was left with brain damage after a solid steel plate fell from the back of a lorry and smashed through his windscreen on the M6
+5
View gallery
The father-of-three suffered severe injuries and was in hospital for two weeks before the family secured funding for intensive rehabilitation
‘I wasn’t speeding. I wasn’t taking risks. I was simply driving home from work to my family. Within a split second, everything I had worked for disappeared.
‘I have lost my career, my independence, my health, and the life I had built with my wife and children. My wife has had to give up her job to care for me full time.’
Mr Moore said the punishment did not reflect the ‘devastation’ the crash caused.
‘No amount of money can replace the years my family has lost. I would hand every penny of the settlement back tomorrow if it meant I could have my old life back.
‘If that steel plate had struck a motorcyclist or hit a child in another car, someone could very easily have been killed. I don’t want sympathy. I want accountability.’
Mr Moore had been a senior manager for an events specialist, overseeing contracts including for Wimbledon, LIV Golf, Google and the Ministry of Defence.
His wife Rachel, 45, said: ‘Tony was always doing something with the children. We had a lovely family life. He worked hard but still made time for us.
‘He was the one organising days out, fixing things around the house and making memories with the kids. Everything was going really well.
‘Normally if he was delayed, he would text me. The drive only took around 45 minutes.’
+5
View gallery
After the plate came through the windscreen Mr Moore’s Ford Ranger crashed into the lorry and was dragged half a mile before the driver stopped
+5
View gallery
He was hit with a 5kg steel plate and careered into the lorry, which travelled half a mile before the driver stopped
A police officer answered her husband’s phone after repeated calls following the crash in September 2023 and Mrs Moore rushed to see him in Royal Stoke University hospital, where a nurse was carrying the steel plate that had hit him.
Mrs Moore said: ‘I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. When I saw Tony I barely recognised him. His face was massively swollen, his eyes were bulging, everything was black and purple.
‘There was blood everywhere. It was absolutely horrific.’
Mr Moore suffered a traumatic brain injury with brain bleeds and fractures to his skull and face, including a fractured eye socket and cheekbone, a fractured right hand, significant mouth injuries including damaged teeth and extensive soft tissue damage.
He doesn’t remember anything about the collision.
After initially surviving his injuries, he developed severe paranoid delusions caused by his brain injury, believing hospital staff were trying to kill him.
He spent two weeks in hospital, being moved between different wards before eventually being discharged home.
The family then secured funding for intensive neuro-rehabilitation, psychology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and specialist support workers while mounting a legal claim against the driver’s company.
But Mr Moore said he was aware he would never fully recover.
He said: ‘I miss the old me. I loved my job, I loved my team and my customers. I loved being the dad who fixed things, took the kids out and looked after everyone.
‘I loved my motorsport and super-karting in particular. Now I’m not even able to drive. Now I get confused. My concentration disappears and the fatigue is overwhelming.
‘My hope now is that this case forces companies to take load security seriously because the consequences can be catastrophic.’
+5
View gallery
Mr Moore, pictured with his wife Rachel, said the lorry driver’s £100 fine was ‘an insult’
His wife said: ‘It was terrifying. He couldn’t remember where rooms were in the house. He couldn’t cope with light or noise. He had no balance. He barely slept because he didn’t know whether it was day or night.
‘He struggled to eat because of his facial injuries. Even the children laughing or a text message arriving on a phone would overwhelm him.
A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said: ‘A summons was sent to the driver for the insecure load, with a traffic commissioner referral made in relation to the company.
‘The driver received points on his licence as well as a fine.
‘The health and safety executive was also informed, though no further action was taken by them, due to the incident taking place on a road and not on a business premises.’
