Lorry driver jailed over fatal A1 crash near Colsterworth
A lorry driver who killed two men when a "stupid" manoeuvre caused them to crash into her trailer has been jailed.
Irina Ivanova Elenkova, 37, had exceeded the legal number of driving hours when she left part of the trailer protruding into the northbound carriageway of the A1.
Mark Lacey and Alexander Sherif, from London, were both killed when their car hit the lorry and burst into flames.
At Lincoln Crown Court, Elenkova was jailed for 20 months.
She previously pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by careless driving.
Elenkova, of Taras Shevcenko, Plodiv, Bulgaria, had been diverted off the A1 due to resurfacing work in October, the court heard.
But when she attempted to rejoin near Colsterworth she left part of the lorry's trailer protruding into the outside lane, which led to the crash.
Passing sentence, Deputy Judge Michael Stokes QC told her: "This was a tragic incident in which two family men lost their lives in the most horrific fashion and it was caused essentially by stupidity."
"You had been driving on various country roads too quickly for conditions, driving on roads you were not permitted to drive on, and according to a witness your driving was a bit aggressive or cavalier."
Elenkova also admitted a third charge relating to the tachograph of the lorry she was driving.
She had exceeded her driving hours and was using the tachograph of her co-driver.
Kostadin Ivanov Tanev, 41, of the Trachea Complex, Plodiv, Bulgaria, also admitted tachograph offences, and was jailed for six months.
Flenkova was disqualified from driving for two and a half years and Tanev was disqualified for six months.