A boozed-up motorist who killed a lorry driver in a horror crash after losing control of his BMW at almost 90mph has been jailed for four years.
Michael Hall, 38, was twice the limit from drinking the night before when the collision occurred on the rain-lashed M74 near Lesmahagow in Lanarkshire.
Hall struck the HGV driven by Malcolm Easton, 42, from Alexandria, Dunbartonshire, as he tried to overtake it, at about 6.30pm on May 2, 2019.
The lorry jackknifed as a result and plunged 40 metres down an embankment.
Malcolm died at the scene from head injuries.
Sentencing Hall at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday, judge Lord Braid told him: “You accelerated up to 89mph to overtake the lorry driven by Mr Easton when the driving conditions were treacherous.
“You braked and your vehicle spun hitting Mr Easton’s lorry which jackknifed and went through a crash barrier and down a steep embankment.
“You were more than twice the drink driving limit.
“To overtake in such driving conditions was highly dangerous.”
Lord Braid also banned Hall from driving for seven years and four months.
Members of Malcolm’s family were in court to see Hall sentenced.
They had written victim statements to the judge expressing their devastating loss.
The court heard that Hall, a car sales manager, had driven from Leeds to Ayrshire.
He had stayed up into the early hours after Liverpool played Barcelona in the Champions League.
Hall, from Leeds, pled guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and also admitted having 47mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 22mg.
