Lorry driver seriously injured in rock attack

The incident happened on the A8 Larne Road at around 10.40pm on Friday.

Police said the rock broke through the windscreen when a wheelie bin of rocks was thrown from the Ballyboley overpass towards Larne as the lorry passed under it.

The driver, a man in his 50s, brought the lorry safely to a stop at the side of the road following the incident, despite his injuries.

He remains in hospital.

Ulster Unionist Councillor Andrew Wilson, who is the Deputy Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, condemned those responsible for throwing a brown bin full of rocks on to the A8 dual carriageway.

The Deputy Mayor said: “Firstly, my thoughts are with the driver of the lorry and I hope he can make a full recovery. This is a terrible ordeal which he has had to deal with.

“I am disgusted at the mentality of the criminal responsible for dumping a bin full of rocks on to a busy dual carriageway. It`s disgraceful.

“Who in their right mind would do something like this?

“Somebody in our community knows who did it and they need to give the information to the police.

“In my opinion, this is attempted murder and the thug responsible needs caught and put behind bars before they do something like this again.

“When they are caught, the sentence should reflect the brutality of the crime.”

Officers are appealing for anyone who noticed any suspicious activity in the area or who captured dashcam footage of the incident to contact them in Larne on 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

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