{"id":20663,"date":"2026-09-02T02:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T02:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/uk-based-nigerian-falls-asleep-at-wheel-after-almost-3-days-of-driving-kills-man\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T02:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T02:54:00","slug":"uk-based-nigerian-falls-asleep-at-wheel-after-almost-3-days-of-driving-kills-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edumarkng.com\/news\/uk-based-nigerian-falls-asleep-at-wheel-after-almost-3-days-of-driving-kills-man\/","title":{"rendered":"UK-based Nigerian falls asleep at wheel after almost 3 days of driving, kills man"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

UK-based Nigerian falls asleep at wheel after almost 3 days of driving, kills man, \"UK-based<\/p>\n

A Nigerian-British taxi driver, Kolawole Erunkulu has been jailed for six years after falling asleep at the wheel and causing a crash that killed a 59-year-old man in Surrey, UK. <\/p>\n

Surrey Police<\/a> said Erunkulu of Bexleyheath, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving after his Audi crossed into a roadside layby and struck Philip Dray.<\/p>\n

The fatal collision happened shortly before 6.30am on Sunday, August 17, 2025, on the A23 in Merstham.<\/p>\n

Philip had safely parked his Volkswagen in a layby to take a break and was opening the driver\u2019s door to get back into his vehicle when he was hit by Erunkulu\u2019s Audi. He died at the scene.<\/p>\n

CCTV footage showed the Audi\u2019s nearside wheels crossing completely over the white lines into the layby before correcting course following the collision.<\/p>\n

Detectives investigating the crash examined footage from Erunkulu\u2019s vehicle and data obtained from his employers. <\/p>\n

The investigation found that he had driven for about 53 hours during the three days before the collision.<\/p>\n

Police said his longest rest period during that time was only seven hours, while other breaks included one of approximately four hours and two of around two hours.<\/p>\n

In the 12 hours immediately before the crash, Erunkulu had been working as a taxi driver with only short breaks.<\/p>\n

Footage from an interior camera in his vehicle showed Erunkulu experiencing what police described as a \u201cmicrosleep\u201d \u2014 a brief episode of sleep lasting only seconds.<\/p>\n

During one of these episodes, the vehicle veered across the carriageway and struck Philip, who was standing in the layby.<\/p>\n

The footage showed Erunkulu continuing to drive for about another 10 seconds before stopping at the next layby.<\/p>\n

Erunkulu, who holds joint British and Nigerian nationality, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in March 2026. He pleaded guilty when he appeared in court in June.<\/p>\n

At Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday, August 25, he was sentenced to six years in prison. Police said he would have received a nine-year sentence had he been convicted following a trial.<\/p>\n

He was also disqualified from driving for eight years, running concurrently with his prison sentence, and will be required to pass an extended driving test if he applies for a new licence.<\/p>\n

During sentencing, Judge Lees said the footage showed Erunkulu was \u201cextremely tired\u201d but continued driving despite his condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe footage shows the defendant was extremely tired and, in my view, has continued to drive when he must have known that,\u201d the judge said.<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cAll of this could have been stopped had he have slept.\u201d<\/p>\n

Acting Detective Inspector Rob Baldwin, of Surrey Police\u2019s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said the case highlighted the dangers of driving while fatigued.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr Erunkulu had worked long hours with insufficient rest over the preceding days, accumulating a sleep debt,\u201d Baldwin said.<\/p>\n

He warned that fatigue could severely affect a driver\u2019s ability to remain alert and react safely, particularly during the early hours of the morning when the natural drive to sleep is strongest.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone who feels tired should not continue driving, as the consequences can be devastating,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Philip\u2019s family described him as an \u201camazing partner and man\u201d, saying he was dependable, caring and someone others could rely on.<\/p>\n

His sister said Philip was a careful and conscientious driver who spent his life prioritising the safety of his passengers and other road users.<\/p>\n

His partner described him as a \u201csweet, gentle, and caring man\u201d and said they had been each other\u2019s \u201ccheerleader, advisor, partner, and best friend\u201d.<\/p>\n

She said Philip was her \u201cpartner and soulmate\u201d and that his death had left an \u201cenormous emotional and physical void\u201d.<\/p>\n

The family has agreed to the release of footage showing Erunkulu falling asleep at the wheel in an effort to highlight the dangers of driving while fatigued.<\/p>\n

Vanguard News<\/a><\/p>\n

The post UK-based Nigerian falls asleep at wheel after almost 3 days of driving, kills man<\/a> appeared first on Vanguard News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

A Nigerian-British taxi driver, Kolawole Erunkulu has been jailed for six years after falling asleep at the wheel and causing a crash that killed a 59-year-old man in Surrey, England.<\/p>\n

The post UK-based Nigerian falls asleep at wheel after almost 3 days of driving, kills man<\/a> appeared first on Vanguard News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

, , efosataiwo@vanguardngr.com, {authorlink},, , Vanguard News, September 2, 2026, 2:54 am<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UK-based Nigerian falls asleep at wheel after almost 3 days of driving, kills man, A Nigerian-British taxi driver, Kolawole Erunkulu has been jailed for six years after falling asleep at the wheel and causing a crash that killed a 59-year-old man in Surrey, UK. Surrey Police said Erunkulu of Bexleyheath, pleaded guilty to causing death […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20664,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cdn.vanguardngr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/nigs.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1931,8,1930],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-more-news-news","category-news","category-news-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t