Lorry ploughed into motorway works vehicle near Abington

At Lanark Sheriff Court last Thursday, the lorry’s driver, Luke Broomfield, pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention on the motorway on September 1 last year.

The court was told that, at about 9.45am, police had been informed of the lorry’s erratic driving and the subsequent crash and rushed to the scene.

They found both vehicles badly damaged, with debris strewn all over one lane of the road.

Two lanes of the motorway were immediately closed off for a considerable time while the debris was cleared and the scene investigated.

The occupant of the maintenance vehicle, Afzzal Zuifiqar, was injured, requiring two weeks’ treatment in hospital.

Broomfield, although initially thought to have only minor injuries, was later found to have suffered a broken rib and dislocated jaw in the collision.

Defending Bloomfield, Jim Robertson said his client had travelled up from Newcastle early that morning to deliver goods to sportwear shops in Edinburgh and Glasgow and was on his way back south when the accident happened.

He said that Broomfield, 23, of County Durham, had possibly been suffering from lack of sleep as his wife had recently given birth to a child.

He admitted that Broomfield already had six penalty points on his licence for previous driving convictions.

A further eight points were put on Broomfield’s licence, bringing with them a six-month disqualification.

He was also fined £200.

The court heard that his employer had dismissed him following the accident.