Mum-to-be killed by ‘distracted’ driver
A WOMAN who was eight-months pregnant was killed by a BMW driver seconds after he finished a phone call on a busy motorway, a court heard yesterday.
Craig Scott, 51, smashed into Rebecca Evans’ car at about 70mph, killing her and her unborn baby.
Ms Evans, 27, from Bridgend, South Wales, died at the scene just before she was due to go on maternity leave from her job at housing charity Shelter.
Prosecutor Catherine Richards said: “The results were catastrophic. The BMW careered into the rear of the car.” The court heard businessman Scott told police he had ended a hands-free call with work about five minutes before the crash. But phone analysis showed the call was actually between 14 and 34 seconds before the collision.
Ms Evans’ husband Alex was driving their Peugeot 407 to take them both to work at the charity when the incident happened on the M4 near junction 38.
Her two-year-old son Cian, who was due to be dropped at a nearby service station where his gran was waiting, was seriously injured in the crash near Port Talbot at 8.16am on November 29, 2016. He suffered a fractured skull and legs. Miss Richards said: “Alex Evans was travelling in the outside lane and saw that the cars in front of him were activating their brake lights. His vehicle came to a stop and he put hazard lights on. “Vehicles in front of Alex Evans had been able to bring their vehicles to a stop. “As Alex Evans sat in his vehicle with the hazard lights flashing he could see the defendant’s BMW vehicle approaching from behind. It seemed to Alex Evans he was not slowing down.” The court heard Scott was driving at about 70mph and there was no evidence the brakes were applied suddenly.
It also heard his car had no mechanical faults and witnesses said it was clear he was not going to slow down before the crash.
Scott claimed he was distracted by something on a bridge before the crash. Miss Richards said: “He was quite simply avoidably and dangerously distracted.”
Scott, of Heath, Cardiff, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. The trial at Swansea Crown court continues.