A lorry driver who caused the death of a heavily pregnant nurse in a horrific M8 crash has been handed a prison sentence of over two-and-a-half years. Trevor Norgate was behind the wheel of an HGV when it swerved off the motorway just west of Hermiston Gait and onto the hard shoulder where 41 year old Evelyn Brown had parked her car. Ms Brown was 34 weeks into her pregnancy at the time of the tragic incident, which took place at 9.08am on December 18, 2023.

After continuing along the hard shoulder for approximately 88 metres, the lorry smashed into Ms Brown's stationary vehicle, resulting in the deaths of both her and her unborn child. Norgate's legal representative stated that his client had been "momentarily distracted for seven or eight seconds at most" before the fatal collision occurred, reports the Daily Record.

The 58 year old admitted to causing death by dangerous driving during a court hearing on March 27. During the sentencing at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday, judge Lord Armstrong told Norgate that due to his actions, "two lives have been lost" and the lives of Ms Brown's close relatives had been "materially impacted in significantly detrimental ways."

He added: "The fact remains this is a very serious matter. No sentence I can impose can in any sense be a measure of the value of the lives that have been lost, nor provide comfort to the family whose own lives have been devastated as a result.

"I have read and take into account victim impact statements by Ms Brown's mother and stepsister, which are eloquent in their terms, explaining the extent of their tragic loss and their difficulties in coming to terms with it. As the result of your actions, their lives have been changed radically for the worse."

He recognised that Norgate had "accepted responsibility" for his actions from an early stage and was the one who made the 999 call post-incident. Despite this, he stated there was "no alternative" but to hand down a custodial sentence, giving Norgate two years and eight months behind bars.

In addition, he banned Norgate from driving for four years and eight months and stipulated that he must pass an extended driving test to regain his driving privileges. Norgate, attired in a blue fleece and purple tracksuit trousers, betrayed no emotion as the judge pronounced his sentence.

Norgate's barrister, David Nicolson KC, expressed that his client was "utterly devastated" over the event, insisting that he will "never, ever get over what he did on this particular morning." Nicolson further mentioned that although his client reviewed footage of the incident, he remains "absolutely at a loss" as to how he became "distracted" for the brief but fatal lapse that led to the collision with Ms Brown's vehicle.