Video call lorry driver jailed for crash that killed woman, 88
1 hour ago
PA Media
A lorry driver who was on a video call before swerving into a car and causing the death of an 88-year-old woman has been jailed for four years and eight months.
Sarah Wood died in hospital days after a car driven by her niece, Lyndsay Thomson, was struck by Blair Jardine's vehicle in a head-on collision on the A70 near Ochiltree in East Ayrshire on 4 June last year.
Ms Thomson and another passenger in the car, Sadie Wood, also sustained serious injuries when it was struck by the HGV - later found to be going above the speed limit.
Jardine, 31, from Crosshill, South Ayrshire admitted a charge of causing Sarah Wood's death and seriously injuring Ms Thomson at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Judge Lady Haldane also banned Jardine from driving for eight years and four months.
The court heard how Jardine was on a hands-free call in the cab of the lorry at the time of the crash.
Prosecutor Alex Prentice KC said a white van in front of Jardine had stopped at a junction near Killoch Colliery.
A stationary car was in front of the white van, but Jardine had failed to react to the car, braking sharply and causing the wheels to lock.
Jardine swerved onto the opposite carriageway where he hit Ms Thomson's MG ZS head-on[1].
Police and fire crews rushed to the scene, where Sarah Wood and Ms Thomson were cut free from the vehicle.
They were taken to the Queen University Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow for emergency treatment.
The court heard Sarah Wood suffered extensive injuries, including fractures to her nose, a rib, a lumbar vertebra and both hands.
On 5 June, she suffered a stroke after coming out of surgery.
She was transferred to the major trauma unit at the hospital on 7 June, but her condition "deteriorated rapidly" and she died on the evening of 10 June.
Ms Thomson also suffered a head injury, rib, knee, leg and wrist fractures and a broken hip.
Mr Prentice said she had undergone "multiple orthopaedic plastic surgery interventions since then" and spent four months in hospital recovering.
'Profound loss'
At the scene, Jardine told police he had been on a video call with another person at the time of the crash.
Investigators also found the lorry was travelling at 56mph - well above the 40mph HGVs are limited to on single-carriageway roads.
His lawyer told the court the incident would "haunt Jardine for the rest of his life".
She added: "He accepts responsibility for his actions."
Lady Haldane acknowledged Jardine was extremely remorseful for the incident and was experiencing grief.
However, she cited a victim impact statement submitted by Ms Thomson in her sentencing.
Lady Haldane said: "It is clear from the detailed victim impact statement that I have received that the physical, psychological and social consequences of these injuries are profound and perhaps life-long.
"It is against this background that there is nothing that this court can say or do that will alleviate the profound loss that is being experienced by the family of Sarah Wood."
References
- ^ where he hit Ms Thomson's MG ZS head-on (www.bbc.co.uk)