A father who killed his 14-year-old son in a motorway crash while under the influence of cocaine has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Daniel Burba, 31, suffered an epileptic seizure at the wheel of his wife's Peugeot van on the M6 near Lancaster on April 20, causing the vehicle to veer off the road and strike a tree.
His son, Ryan Morgan, was a front-seat passenger and suffered fatal head injuries. He died 'in terror' as he attempted to take control of the vehicle moments before the crash, Preston Crown Court heard. Burba sustained only minor injuries and was taken to hospital, where a paramedic discovered a small bag of cocaine in his wallet.
Blood analysis revealed Burba was four times over the legal drug-drive limit. The court was told that his GP had advised him in October 2014 to stop taking cocaine after a seizure and warned him against driving. He received a similar caution in February after further fits and was instructed to notify the DVLA.
Judge Robert Altham, the Honorary Recorder of Preston, told Burba: 'You knew that cocaine predisposed you to further fits. You were not entitled to drive unsupervised and certainly not on the motorway. You should not have been behind the wheel at all.' Burba had previously admitted causing death by dangerous driving, as well as driving without a licence and without insurance. He was also banned from driving for 14 years and five months.
