Police made ‘desperate’ attempts to save mum

POLICE officers passing the scene of a horror crash on the M4 which claimed the life of a heavily pregnant woman made “desperate” attempts to save her, a court has heard.

Three South Wales Police vans heading from Swansea to Cardiff arrived at the scene just moments after the smash which killed charity worker Rebecca Evans and her unborn child.

Officers rushed across the carriageway and managed to free Ms Evans from the wreckage using a crow bar borrowed from another motorist, but the 27-yearold could not be saved.

The dramatic intervention of the officers was revealed on the second day of the trial of Craig John Scott at Swansea Crown Court. Scott has admitted causing the death of Ms Evans by careless driving, but denies the more serious charge of causing her death by dangerous driving, as well as causing injury by dangerous driving.

The 51-year-old from Cardiff was driving to work at Baglan power station on the morning on November 29, 2016, when his BMW crashed into the back of Ms Evans’ Peugeot, which was stationary in a line of traffic.

Ms Evans, from Bridgend, suffered catastrophic injuries in the collision and died at the roadside; her young son, who was in a child seat in the rear, suffered leg and head injuries but survived. Her partner, Alex, who was driving the car suffered minor injuries.

The court heard evidence from police officers who were travelling along the M4 at the time of the crash. The team was heading in a convoy of vans to Cardiff for a day of training at the Principality Stadium.

Catherine Richards, prosecuting, read a series of statements from the officers which described how they were heading east on the motorway and arrived at the Margam junction just moments after the smash had happened in the opposite carriageway – they parked their vans in the hard shoulder, and dashed across the central reservation to try to help.

Inspector Timothy Hopkins described seeing a heavily pregnant Ms Evans sat “unresponsive” in the passenger seat of the badly damaged Peugeot, her face pale, and with no signs of breathing. In the back of the car was her injured son, Cian, who was strapped into a car seat. He said officers smashed the passenger window to try to get to Ms Evans. They then forced the car doors open and, following advice from paramedics, got Ms Evans out of the vehicle and began to perform CPR.

Constable Samantha Phillips described how she saw her colleagues “desperately” trying to open the Peugeot’s passenger door, borrowing a crow bar from a nearby van to help in the efforts.

PC Craig Hughes described how he tried to comfort the screaming and injured Cian who was trapped in the back, holding his hand and talking to him, and placing a jacket over him to keep him warm.

Ms Evans was pronounced dead at the scene, while Cian was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales suffering with bleeding on the brain, fractured legs, and other injuries.

Forensic crash investigator PC Christopher Street, who examined the scene, told the court he estimated Scott’s speed at the time of impact as about 70mph, and said he could find no evidence of any emergency braking in the moments before the collision.

Scott, of Armoury Drive, Heath, Cardiff, denies causing death by dangerous driving and causing injury by dangerous driving, and the trial continues.