Nigerian taxi driver who worked 53 hours in three days jailed for killing man in UK

• Nigerian-British taxi driver Kolawole Erunkulu, 45, has been jailed for six years after falling asleep while driving and killing a man in Surrey.

• Erunkulu had worked for about 53 hours over three days, with the court hearing that he suffered a “microsleep” before the fatal crash.

• He pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was also banned from driving for eight years.

A Nigerian-British taxi driver has been jailed for six years after falling asleep at the wheel and killing a man in Surrey, England, following a punishing work schedule that saw him drive for 53 hours over three days.

Kolawole Erunkulu, 45, of Bexleyheath in south-east London, was driving an Audi on the A23 in Merstham shortly before 6:30 am on August 17, 2025, when his vehicle swerved across the carriageway and struck 59-year-old Philip Dray.

Dray had safely parked his Volkswagen in a layby to take a break and was opening the driver's door to get back inside when he was hit. He died at the scene.

Investigators who reviewed footage from inside Erunkulu's vehicle, alongside data from his employers, found he had been driving for around 53 hours across the three days leading up to the crash. His longest rest period in that time was just seven hours, with other breaks lasting roughly four hours and two hours. In the 12 hours immediately before the collision, he had worked with only minor breaks.

Dashcam footage reportedly captured Erunkulu yawning and closing his eyes in the moments before the crash. He then fell into what police described as a "microsleep," a brief, involuntary episode lasting only seconds, during which the brain stops processing information. During the episode, his car crossed the carriageway, struck Dray, and continued driving for another 10 seconds before stopping at the next layby.

Erunkulu, who holds joint British and Nigerian nationality, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in March 2026 and pleaded guilty in June. He was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on August 25. Had he been convicted following a trial, he would have received nine years. He was also disqualified from driving for eight years and will face an extended retest if he applies to drive again.

Sentencing him, Her Honour Judge Lees said footage showed Erunkulu was "extremely tired" and had continued driving despite knowing it, adding that the tragedy could have been prevented had he stopped to sleep. She noted he had built up a significant "sleep debt" from working long hours with insufficient rest, warning that fatigue can seriously impair a driver's ability to react safely, particularly in the early hours of the morning.

Dray's sister described him as "sweet, gentle, and caring," saying he "never sought attention and lived his life quietly, but he cared deeply about others and treated people with respect and decency. He was simply a good man."

READ NEXT: Tupac's killer found guilty after 30 years as trial reveals Diddy's alleged role in a hush payment