A young mother, Rebecca Tasker, 32, tragically lost her life in a horrific crash after her partner, Edward Carty, 30, fell asleep at the wheel. The accident happened on the A90 near Errol, Perth and Kinross, on 12 August 2022.
Rebecca was in the back seat of the car driven by Carty, a disqualified driver, who left the road, causing the vehicle to spin down an embankment before hitting two trees. Amazingly, members of the public were able to pull Rebecca’s two children off the road. The vehicle unharmed.
Carty’s friend, who was also in the car, escaped unhurt, but Rebecca was pronounced dead at the scene. She suffered two spinal injuries, a serious neck injury and blunt force trauma to several ribs. Carty, who had been driving for 14 hours without a break, later admitted on TikTok that he had fallen asleep. He pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to causing Rebecca’s death by dangerous driving, according to a statement. BBC.
The court heard Carty, his friend Lucas Hollings, 19, Rebecca, and their children, aged 10 and seven, had travelled from Arbroath to Lochinver, Highlands, before making the return journey. Prosecutor Ruaridh Ferguson said: “During the journey Carty did not rest and drove for around 14 hours.”
At the time of the incident, Carty was driving 80 miles per hour in a 70 mile per hour zone. The Nissan vehicle was seen heading toward the shoulder of the road and Carty attempted to correct his course. The car then crossed into another lane and Carty again attempted to stabilize the vehicle.
Ferguson described how the vehicle “began to veer counter-clockwise before crossing the grass verge and a footpath”. The car then turned 90 degrees and went backwards, hitting a tree and then another tree, causing significant damage and leaving the vehicle upside down.
Witnesses rushed to the aid of the occupants of the car, which crashed into a tree trunk. Hollings managed to escape and the two children were rescued through the driver’s window. Sadly, Rebecca was unable to be removed and was later deemed to have been immediately unconscious due to her injuries.
Carty was taken to the hospital for leg surgery and also suffered a stroke. In September 2022, he went live on TikTok, discussing the incident with a woman. He said: “I fell asleep at the wheel, but I pulled over 15 times and asked my girlfriend to drive, but she didn’t drive even though it was her car.”
Prosecutor Ferguson stressed that Carty did not rest during the journey. Following Rebecca’s death, loved ones poured in tributes on social media. Her cousin Alana Dempster said: “My heart is broken” and Shellie Lyon added: “She was amazing and will be sorely missed. An amazing woman and mother gone too soon.”
Defence lawyer Brian Bell told the court: “He accepts full responsibility. He doesn’t remember the comment about asking her to drive. He remembers saying it on TikTok, but he doesn’t remember asking her to drive.”
Sentencing was adjourned until next month at the High Court in Edinburgh pending the hearing of the case. Judge Lord Young said: “You will be aware that detention is inevitable for an offence of this gravity.” Carty, from Blackburn, England, was disqualified from driving and ordered to remain in custody.