Lincolnshire lorry driver was texting at wheel before M62 crash that killed Goole nurse

A lorry driver has been jailed after causing a fatal pile-up while texting at the wheel on the M62 motorway.

Nicholas Liever, of Clifton Road in Fishtoft, Lincolnshire, was in a Volvo HGV which collided with multiple vehicles on the eastbound carriageway near Huddersfield on 5 September 2019.

Karen McDonagh, 51, of Goole, who was in a VW Passat, suffered fatal injuries.

Investigators later found that Liever had been sending text messages before the collision – the last one at around the time of the crash.

They also found he had attempted to delete the data from his phone.

In interview, he told police he was not distracted at the time of the collision and claimed it was unavoidable.

But the 49-year-old pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for four years and four months.

Det Con Jenny Stanley, of the Major Collision Enquiry Team at West Yorkshire Police, said: "This is yet another example of how dangerous using a mobile phone at the wheel of a moving vehicle can be.

"Liever has admitted responsibility for causing this collision and now has some time to reflect on his actions, which resulted in the death of a much-loved family member and impacted on the lives of those involved in what was a traumatic incident."