BMW driver, 38, killed haulier when he crashed into HGV at 90mph while still twice the drink-drive limit the morning after celebrating football win
- Michael Hall was driving at almost 90mph when he lost control of his BMW
- He crashed on the M74 near Lanarkshire, killing 42-year-old Malcolm Easton
- The 38-year-old was more than twice the legal drink drive limit at the time
A BMW driver crashed into a HGV and killed a haulier while still twice the drink-drive limit after celebrating his football team winning the night before.
Michael Hall was driving at almost 90mph when he lost control of his car on the rain-lashed M74 near Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire.
Hall struck the HGV driven by Malcolm Easton, 42, who was killed in the horror crash on May 2, 2019.
Today, Hall’s QC Ian Duguid told the High Court in Glasgow: ‘The alcohol was from the night before in celebration of a particular football match.’
The 38 year-old car sales manager pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and will be sentenced later this month.
Michael Hall struck the HGV driven by Malcolm Easton, 42 (pictured), who was killed in the horror crash on May 2, 2019
The smash happened around 6.30pm with heavy rain making the roads ‘treacherous’.
Mr Easton, of Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, was on the M74 northbound driving his 44-tonne HGV lorry.
Another driver saw Hall and was forced to brake to avoid hitting him before he ‘disappeared out of sight pretty quickly’.
Prosecutor Bernard Ablett said Hall then tried to overtake Mr Easton but appeared to ‘aquaplane’ on the wet road and then spin out of control.
Mr Ablett said: ‘He collided with Mr Easton’s HGV. Mr Easton would have had no warning that Hall’s vehicle was about to strike his.
‘The force of the collision caused the HGV to jack-knife, break through a crash barrier and travel around 40 metres down a steep embankment.’
Other motorists stopped to try and help Mr Easton, but he suffered a fatal head injury.
Footage from Mr Easton’s dash cam in his truck was played in court.
Mr Ablett said the collision happened ‘out of view’, but that it still showed the ‘effect’ of the horror.
Hall was driving at almost 90mph when he lost control of his car on the rain-lashed M74 near Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire
When police spoke to Hall, now of Leeds, Yorkshire, he appeared ‘bleary eyed’ and smelling of drink.
He was found to have 47mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 22mg. Hall also pleaded guilty to that charge today.
Crash investigators concluded Hall had been driving at up to 89mph at the time.
His QC Mr Duguid said Hall had shown ‘huge remorse’ for what happened.
Lord Braid remanded him in custody as sentencing was deferred for reports.