Van driver jailed over fatal collision when he was on cocaine and using TikTok

A van driver who failed a drug driving test for cocaine and had TikTok on his phone has been jailed for over five years after his van was involved in a fatal collision which left a mother and daughter dead.

Luke Flanagan, 28, was driving his Ford Transit van along the westbound carriageway of the A421 near Renhold just before 8am on 1 November 2021, when he struck a Peugeot 2008 which had slowed down and stopped due to stationary traffic ahead. 

Failing to see that the Peugeot had stopped, Flanigan hit the vehicle with such force that it was pushed underneath the HGV that had stopped in front of it, before bursting into flames. 

Emergency services attended the scene but the driver of the Peugeot, Emma van der Avoird, 55, and her daughter Khiana van der Avoird, 16, of Little Paxton in Cambridgeshire, were sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

Khiana van der Avoird, killed by Luke Flanagan who had cocaine in his bloodstream and watching TikTok videos on his phone while driving prior to driving into the van Der Avoird's car

Flanagan sustained facial burns after he tried to help the victims in the car. The two occupants of the HGV were uninjured. 

Flanagan was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. A drug driving test found he was three times the legal limit for cocaine.

During a police interview, Flanagan claimed that he had not seen the Peugeot stop as he had taken his focus away from the road when something had fallen to the floor of his van.

The court heard that Flanagan's phone data showed he had been using TikTok, which his defence said was on his dashboard being used to stream music.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced at Luton Crown Court today (Monday) to five years and seven months in prison. 

He has also been disqualified from driving for a total of four years and nine months and will have to take an extended re-test.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, a family member said: "My sister Emma and her daughter Khiana were inseparable as a pair.

"Emma was my older sister whom I grew up with. We always dropped into our old way of being when together and we chattered away whenever we met or spoke on the phone; time just running away. I really only ever had that type of relationship with Emma, and I cannot tell you just how hard it is not to have her or the chance to speak or see her again.

"The impact of Emma and Khiana's deaths was made considerably worse by the manner of their deaths. They were just on their way to school like normal, stationary in traffic. I honestly will never come to terms with this or the fact their lives ended so needlessly. 

"I understand Mr Flannagan did try to get them out and sustained burns himself and I thank him for that but that is nothing compared the impact his actions have had on me and my wider family. I hope that he can find a way to live with what he has done because I know how hard it continues to be for me"

Detective Sergeant Ben Heath from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "First and foremost my thoughts are with Emma and Khiana's family and their terrible loss.

"This was an extremely sad incident that could have been avoided, had Flanagan been paying attention to the road. 

"I can't stress enough the importance of paying due care and attention when driving, especially at fast speeds. You are in charge of a powerful machine, so not being aware of what is happening around you can lead to potentially tragic consequences, which is sadly what happened in this case."