M180 crash: Man jailed over fatal crash which killed his partner and seriously injured their 18-month-old son

Marius Dencea was driving westbound on the M180 between Barnetby Top and Scunthorpe on Janaury 5 this year, with his partner Roxana Pitigoi and their 18-month-old son.

Both were sat in the back of the car, and his 34-year-old partner wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and their son was not in a car seat.

Driving in treacherous conditions, 35-year-old Dencea was driving at speed in lane three of the motorway which was covered in melting snow. The conditions caused the car to veer across three lanes of the motorway, overturn and crash into a tree.

Roxana was left with serious injuries and was taken to hospital where she died the following day.

Humberside Police said their son, who also sustained serious injuries, had his life saved thanks to the swift intervention of a passing doctor who arrived at the scene before paramedics.

Dencea failed a roadside breath test and his vehicle was found to be unroadworthy due to two defective rear tyres which both had cord exposed. He was arrested at the scene and later charged.

Dencea, of Berkeley Street in Scunthorpe, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was jailed for nine years at Hull Crown Court on Friday (Jun 20) and was disqualified from driving for seven years.

Senior Investigating Officer Inspector John Rickells, of Humberside Police, said: “This was a deeply tragic and avoidable incident that has destroyed a family. A young woman has lost her life far too soon, and a young child’s future has been changed in one second. The pain and trauma for those left behind is immeasurable.

“Dencea made a chain of catastrophic decisions that day. He willingly chose to drive in dangerous weather, in an unroadworthy vehicle, under the influence of alcohol and at excessive speed, all while failing to ensure his partner and child were safely secured inside the vehicle.

“His actions showed a total lack of concern for his own safety, for the lives of his family, and for the safety of the wider public.

“No one ever expects a journey to end in tragedy, but this case serves as a stark reminder of what happens when a driver fails to respect the road. Seatbelts and car seats are not optional extras, they save lives.

“One second of poor judgement can have lifelong consequences.”