‘Think of victims if you are tempted to phon
THE police officer responsible for investigating the deaths of the crash victims urged people to remember them if they are ever tempted to use a phone while driving.
Mum-of-two Anne Kerr, from Southport, and 14-year-old Joe Cairns died when James Majury crashed a 19-tonne lorry into queuing traffic moments after using his mobile phone on the M58.
Insp Claire Pearson described the moment she had to tell their families why he hadn’t seen the built up traffic as she pleaded with others not to make the same mistake.
She said: “I couldn’t understand how the M58, which is a three-lane motorway, a very, very long, straight piece of road where this has occurred; how someone could be sat in a HGV in a high up position and not see queuing traffic and not react to that queueing traffic.
“So for me, there was a reason why he hadn’t reacted.
“We worked for several months to rule out the different reasons, like mechanical. There was no suggestion that Mr Majury was drunk so then you’re left with the mobile phone.”
She added: “Several months down the line, we were able to confirm that that phone had been in use from the moment Mr