David Jensen, 18, admitted careless driving and driving without insurance and a licence.

Waseem Raja, prosecuting, told Calderdale magistrates Jensen had been working as a cone collector on the hard shoulder of the M62 at junction 25 at Clifton, near Brighouse.

His colleague, Melvyn O'Connor, got out of the Mercedes flatback lorry to help with the cones before Jensen took to the wheel.

Mr Raja said: "He reversed into him in the seven and a half ton truck, causing serious injuries."

Mr O'Connor was taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary by air ambulance and treated in hospital for six weeks.

He received bruising to his left pelvis and shoulder and suffered tissue damage.

He was told he would be out of work for six months.

In a statement to the court, Jamie Swansea, depot and contracts manager for Traffic Management, said: "Although he has done wrong, he has done no harm.

"He was instructed to drive by his senior manager and did not think it would be a problem to drive in a coned-up area."

Jensen, of Rutland Avenue, Halewood, Liverpool, who represented himself, said: "I thought driving the truck in the coned area made it a private road and I did think there was insurance in place.

"When I reversed I looked behind me and drove back until I could no longer see him in my view but then it was too late.

"It was Melvyn O'Connor who agreed for me to do it and it was the first time he had asked me to do it."

Jensen was fined £150 and ordered to pay £60 costs.