Taxi driver jailed after texting at the wheel leading to death of recovery worker in M3 collision
- Perry Richardson
- Jan 15
- 2 min read
A taxi driver who was using his mobile phone while driving has been jailed for causing a fatal collision on the M3, after a court heard he veered off the carriageway and struck a recovery worker on the hard shoulder.
Mohamed Farooq Saleemi, 64, was sentenced on Wednesday to seven years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving following a trial at Southampton Crown Court.
The court heard that at around 11.25pm on 21 February 2022, Saleemi was driving on the M3 between junctions 13 and 14 when he left the live carriageway and collided with a Mercedes Vito recovery vehicle and 54-year-old Vologea Mihaliuc.
Mr Mihaliuc, a recovery operative, had been working on the hard shoulder recovering a broken-down vehicle when he was struck. Despite the recovery vehicle displaying flashing amber warning lights, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Recovery worker died after being struck on the hard shoulder as the driver veered off the carriageway while using his phone
Prosecutors told the court that Saleemi had been texting while driving and was not paying attention to the road ahead. CCTV and dashcam footage shown during the trial captured his vehicle drifting towards the hard shoulder immediately before the collision.
The footage was described in court as showing a clear and sustained loss of control consistent with distraction, rather than a sudden mechanical failure or unavoidable road hazard.
In addition to the dangerous driving offence, Saleemi was also sentenced for perverting the course of justice. The court heard he attempted to conceal his mobile phone from police officers at the scene, an offence to which he had previously pleaded guilty.
Sentencing, the judge said the decision to text while driving represented a serious breach of responsibility, with catastrophic consequences for the victim and his family.
DC Joy Jarvis, of the Roads Policing Unit, said: “This was a senseless death caused by a distracted driver who was using his phone.
“As a professional taxi driver, the defendant should have known better. To risk lives just to send a text is a completely selfish act and now a family has been completely torn apart by this man’s actions.”
