A 58‑year‑old truck driver, Trevor Norgate, is set to face jail after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving in a crash that claimed the life of UK-based Nigerian nurse Evelyn Brown and her unborn child.
Footage captured on Norgate’s dash cam shows his heavy goods vehicle drifting onto the hard shoulder on the M8 westbound near Hermiston Gait in Edinburgh on December 18, 2023. Brown, 41, who had just finished a 12‑hour shift at East Lothian Community Hospital in Haddington, was driving her Kia Sorento with its hazard lights on when her vehicle was struck. At 34 weeks pregnant, she suffered fatal neck and chest injuries, and her unborn baby also did not survive.
The court heard that Norgate, who already had six points on his licence for using a mobile phone while driving, admitted he allowed himself to be distracted prior to the collision – a distraction that prosecutors say cost Brown her life. Although Norgate claimed he “moved in his lane” for “something in the road,” prosecutors stated there was no evidence to support this assertion. Instead, the dash cam footage revealed a slow, continuous motion along the hard shoulder with no indication of corrective driver interaction.
After the accident, Norgate reportedly got out of his truck and dialled 999. A passing doctor administered first aid to an unresponsive Brown, and fire crews had to cut her from the wreck before paramedics attempted to revive her. Despite their efforts, both Brown and her baby died at the scene.
Brown, who was born in Nigeria and relocated to the UK in 2015, was also known for her work as an agency nurse for Medline. At the time of the crash, she had just sent a text to her sister saying she was on her way home, leaving behind two young daughters and her wheelchair‑bound mother with whom she lived.
Norgate, a resident of Bellshill, Lanarkshire, was remanded in custody. He is due to be sentenced next month, facing a prison sentence for the tragic incident.
The case underscores the severe consequences of distracted driving and the lasting impact such tragedies have on families and communities.
