Drug fuelled killer M27 driver had been on shoplifting spree in Portsmouth as family reveal heartache

Now grieving relatives of the victim have revealed how their lives have been “turned upside down”.

Michal Kaminski was killed by reckless VW Polo driver Ross Neiland near junction 5 for Southampton Airport when a Nissan Juke and the Polo collided around 12.30pm on February 21 last year.

Neiland had been speeding at 90mph despite treacherous weather conditions and lost control of his vehicle when it hit a pool of standing water.

Michal, known as Mike, was hit by the Juke as he was forced to swerve before his Mercedes lorry hit the concrete pillar of a gantry and later burst into flames. The 36-year-old, from Salisbury, Wiltshire, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The three people inside the Polo tried to flee the scene before selfish Neiland returned to remove stolen goods from the boot of the car while leaving the other injured victim in their Nissan Juke and running off. However, witnesses who stopped their cars ran after the driver and detained him, Southampton Crown Court was told.

In pre-sentencing reports the court heard Neiland admitted to taking cocaine and heroin until midnight on 20 February and he was on the way back from a shoplifting spree in Portsmouth when the crash happened.

Neiland, 38, of Littlehampton, was jailed for nine years and nine months on Tuesday. He had previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, causing death whilst driving uninsured, driving without a licence and failing to give a specimen. Neiland was also banned from driving for 14-and-a-half years.

Neiland had tested positive for cocaine during a drug test administered shortly after the collision, although he later refused to provide a specimen of blood taken at the hospital. Witnesses also described him as smelling of alcohol at the crash scene, the court was told.

Speaking after the hearing, Mike’s brother Rafal, 34, said: “Mike was not only my big brother but my best friend. We did everything together and he was the person I looked up to.

“He was a kind-hearted person and everyone he met said the same. The day the police knocked on my door to say Mike had been involved in a collision was the worst day of my life. At that point our family changed forever.

“Mike was one of life’s good guys. He enjoyed playing and watching football and films. He was a big movie fan and would collect figures from Marvel movies.

“We remain devastated that he’s no longer with us. The collision has turned mine and my parents’ life upside down.

“I can’t thank everyone enough for all their kind words and support they have shown me since Mike’s death. It means so much to me. However, I just hope that by sharing our family’s story we can make others think twice about the consequences of their actions. I wouldn’t wish the pain we’ve been left to face on anyone.”

Lauren Haas, the specialist road accident lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Southampton office representing Rafal, said after the sentencing hearing: “Understandably Rafal and his parents remain devastated by Mike’s needless death which the judge at sentencing described as wholly avoidable.

“In my professional experience, the fallout from such incidents has a life-changing effect not just for the victims but also their loved ones left trying to pick up the pieces.

“While nothing will make up for Mike’s death we hope this case will act as a deterrent and make drivers think about the consequences of their actions, so the number of people killed or badly injured on our roads reduces.

“In the meantime, we continue to support Mike’s loved ones so they can try and come to terms with his death the best they can.”

Mike, originally from Poland, moved to the UK around 10 years ago. He worked as a driver for a flooring firm and was delivering goods when the crash happened.