Coppull lorry driver appears in court charged with causing death of schoolboy and teaching assistant in M58 horror crash

A 33-year lorry driver from Coppull has been charged with causing the deaths of a schoolboy and a teaching assistant in a motorway crash near Wigan.
Joe Cairns, 14, and school transport assistant Anne Kerr, 50, were killed in a crash on the M58 near Wigan on January 8. Pic: Lancashire PoliceJoe Cairns, 14, and school transport assistant Anne Kerr, 50, were killed in a crash on the M58 near Wigan on January 8. Pic: Lancashire Police
Joe Cairns, 14, and school transport assistant Anne Kerr, 50, were killed in a crash on the M58 near Wigan on January 8. Pic: Lancashire Police

Anne Kerr, 50, from Southport, and 14-year-old Joe Cairns, from Radcliffe, were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on the M58 at Bickerstaffe on January 8 last year.

Joe, a special needs pupil at Pontville School in Ormskirk, and teaching assistant Ms Kerr, had been travelling in a school minibus when it was involved in a crash with a HGV at around 9am.

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A 33-year-old lorry driver, James Majury, of Milton Road, Coppull, near Chorley, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following the crash.

A number of other people were seriously injured, including three young people from the school and a minibus driver in his 60s.

Following the one-year anniversary of the crash, Majury appeared at Preston Magistrates’ Court yesterday (January 9).

He is charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and five counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Majury entered no pleas and will next appear at Preston Crown Court on February 11.