A lorry driver who killed a heavily-pregnant nurse along with her unborn child in a horrific motorway crash after she had pulled onto the hard shoulder is facing jail.
Trevor Norgate, 58, was behind the wheel of his HGV when it drifted onto the hard shoulder where Evelyn Brown, 41, had stopped in her Kia Sorento.
Footage of the smash on the M8 westbound near Hermiston Gait in Edinburgh on December 18 2023 was captured on Norgate’s dash cam.
The court heard Norgate, of Bellshill, Lanarkshire, already had six points on his licence at the time for using a mobile phone while on the road.
He appeared in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow today where he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
Evelyn – known as Eve – died from her injuries. She was 34 weeks pregnant at the time and her unborn baby also passed away.
Prosecutors stated Norgate had ‘allowed himself to become distracted’ prior to the collision and that he should have seen Ms Brown’s vehicle.
He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced next month, when he faces a prison sentence.
Prosecutor Jennifer Cameron told how Ms Brown was born in Nigeria and moved to the UK in 2015.
Ms Brown worked as an agency nurse for a company called Medline and had not long finished a 12-hour shift at East Lothian Community Hospital in Haddington when tragedy struck that morning.
The court heard Ms Brown, who had two young girls aged three and four, had texted her sister to say she was on her way home.
Norgate meantime was driving his haulage firm HGV, having started work at 4am that day.
He had ‘complied with rest requirements’ while behind the wheel of his lorry.
The court was shown harrowing footage of the collision, which began with Ms Brown’s stationary car on the hard shoulder with its lights on.
The court was told: ‘The HGV began to veer from the lane onto the hard shoulder.
‘The vehicle drifted over a period of between seven to eight seconds with no corrective action being taken or braking to alter the course of travel.
‘The lorry travelled on the hard shoulder for approximately 88.5 metres until the point of impact with the rear of Evelyn Brown vehicle.
‘It is noted there is no sound or exclamation within the cab (of the lorry) immediately before impact confirming Norgate, at that time, did not have his eyes on the road.’
The advocate depute added Norgate ‘ought to have seen’ the Kia on the hard shoulder.
Norgate immediately got out and dialled 999. A passing doctor stopped to give an unresponsive Ms Brown first aid.
Fire crews cut her out of the wrecked car before paramedics attempted to revive her, but she had suffered fatal neck and chest injuries and she and her baby died at the scene.
Norgate went on to make a number of comments to police including he had ‘moved in his lane’ for ‘something in the road’.
But prosecutors said there was ‘no evidence to substantiate’ this claim.
She added, instead, the dash cam footage showed ‘a slow, continuous motion’ on the hard shoulder that morning with ‘no signs of driver interaction’.
Ms Brown, also of Bellshill, lived with her wheelchair-bound mother at the time.
She also had a lifelong friend who had moved from Nigeria to be with the nurse.
Her children now live with their father, but return to visit their grandmother on a weekly basis.
Miss Cameron: ‘The family have felt the loss keenly. Ms Brown’s mother has been extremely distressed since and has not felt able to attend court.
‘The children, on family visits, often ask when their mum is going to come home from work.’
David Nicolson, defending, said Norgate gave his ‘sincere apologies’ for what happened.
The KC added: ‘He has done what he now can and hopefully the next of kin can take comfort from that.’
Mr Nicolson did not move for Norgate’s bail to be continued.
Lord Armstrong deferred sentencing until April 24 in Edinburgh.
A fundraiser later set up in Ms Brown’s name quickly raised almost £3,000 to help her family.