Death-crash nurse struck off
Christy George deleted call history evidence
A NURSE who caused a fatal motorway pile-up while using her mobile phone at the wheel has been struck off the nursing register.
Christy George lost control of her Skoda while overtaking a lorry on the soubound carriageway of the M1 near Markfield in November 2014, killing one driver and seriously injuring another.
The 38-year-old was on the phone to her husband when she swerved across the central reservation at nearly 70mph, hitting the lorry and sending it into the path of a BMW and five other cars.
The BMW driver, Murray Simpson, 48, from London, died instantly.
Liese Bowers-Straw’s spine was broken in two places, suffered brain injuries and torn muscles across her hips and stomach and was still recovering from her injuries when a trial was held last year. Three others received minor injuries in the smash.
After a trial at Leicester Crown Court, George, formerly of Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice.
During the trial she pleaded guilty to causing death while uninsured.
She was sentenced to five years in jail.
George, who was on her way to work as an agency nurse in Coventry, admitted to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) of deleting the call list while trapped in her car after the accident, which took place between Junction 22 and Junction 21a.
Sara Nathan, chairman of the NMC’s conduct and competence committee, said: “The panel considers that serious criminal behaviour of this kind, particularly from someone in a position of trust and responsibility, was inherently likely to bring the profession into disrepute and has done so in this case.
“An aggravating feature which the panel found to be particularly serious was that George, after causing the collision, deleted the list of calls she had made whilst driving.
“In doing so, George had shown an intent to cover up her actions.”
The panel also heard that George, who was also working as a nurse at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and some agency shifts, was convicted on a charge of careless driving in Nottinghamshire in 2012, when she collided with a young boy as she reversed off her driveway.
In a statement, George said: “I am genuinely and sincerely sorry for all the pain and grief I have caused to my victims and their family.
“I take full responsibility of my actions and I cannot possibly imagine what they are going through. My reckless behaviour has caused all this and I know my apology will not make any difference to anyone now.”
She said she stopped driving after the M1 accident and had no intention to drive again.
The panel concluded: “Ms George’s convictions make a striking-off order the only sanction that would adequately reflect the gravity of these offences and satisfy the public interest in maintaining the standards of the profession and upholding public confidence in the profession and the NMC as its regulator.
George, who gave evidence via video link, may apply for restoration to the register after five years.