Woman admits causing crash that killed three men near Falkirk

A 21-year-old woman who crashed into a car after going around a bend at more than 85 mph has admitted killing her three passengers.

Reece Williams, 23, Lewis Soden, 24, and Connor Page, 21, died when the Ford Focus driven by Jorja Colville collided near Falkirk in July last year.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard Colville was also speeding at more than 90mph shortly before the crash outside the village of Dunmore.

Colville admitted causing death by dangerous driving and will be sentenced at Stirling High Court on January 8.

Judge Lady Ross told Colville that a prison sentence was “inevitable” and that nothing could be said to take away the “desperate pain” in the lives of the three victims’ families.

Colville, of Stirling, admitted causing the men’s deaths on July 26 last year by driving dangerously at excessive speed, failing to maintain control of his car, causing it to veer off the road and head towards the edge of a cliff, where it struck a tree.

Solicitor depute Scott McKenzie told the court that early years assistant Colville had no previous convictions.

The prosecutor said that on the day of the crash, eyewitness Kirstin Scobbie saw Colville’s car behind her as she approached the crash site on Moss Road.

He was traveling at approximately 60 miles per hour, the proper speed limit, when the Focus passed him before approaching the front of his vehicle.

Mr McKenzie said: “The white Ford Focus sped away from him.”

After a series of bends in the road, he noticed debris on the road and then spotted the Focus in the bushes.

The prosecutor said: “He noted that the vehicle was on its side and suffered serious damage.

“As he approached the white Ford, he stopped his vehicle and saw Jorja Colville covered in blood and screaming for help.”

The court heard Colville said the three people in the car could not get out.

Mr McKenzie said: “He explained that none of them were awake and he didn’t know if they were breathing.”

The other driver, Dean Norris, said that when he saw the Focus approaching him in the opposite lane, it left the road surface for a while due to the slope of the road and gave the impression that he was going at excessive speed.

“As he passed the vehicle he saw it land on the road surface again before losing control,” the prosecutor said.

Mr Norris returned to offer assistance and went to the Focus but could not find any signs of life in the three men in the vehicle.

When police arrived, Colville confirmed she was the driver and said her boyfriend, Reece Williams, was in the car with his friends.

Mr. Williams suffered blunt force injuries to his head, chest, abdomen and extremities in the crash.

Mr. Soden suffered multiple injuries to his head, neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis, and Mr. Page died from multiple blunt force injuries to the head and neck.

The court heard data from the car showed its speed increased significantly as it approached the crash scene, reaching a maximum speed of 92.6mph before the bend and continuing at speeds in excess of 85mph throughout the bend.

Crash investigators said the crash occurred because the driver was “driving at a speed that was significantly too high for the road layout and was approaching hazards for which he had been warned.”

The court heard that part of the road before the crash scene had a series of ups and downs where a warning sign was posted to warn motorists.

Defense lawyer Gordon Martin KC told the court Colville, who suffered a broken shoulder and ribs, had not driven since the incident.

Following Colville’s guilty plea, Mr Williams’ mother Tracy said the tragedy had affected not only her own family but “Jorja and her family as well”.

“We know he didn’t set out to do harm that day, and that will be something he will carry for the rest of his life,” he said.

In a statement released through Digby Brown Solicitors, Ms Williams added: “If I close my eyes I can see Reece as a little boy laughing and helping his grandfather build a holiday house.

“His younger sister adored him and he had a special bond with his cousins ​​and aunts. I’m so proud of the kind, generous and hard-working man he has become.

“We are blessed with these memories but devastated that it won’t happen again.

“My family and I will never fully understand life without Reece.”