A 999 recording of the traumatic moments after a woman's car was struck by a lorry in a fatal accident on the Dartford bridge has been played to a jury.

College student Abigail Harvey died after her Audi A1 was struck by the Iveco Stralus truck driven by Viorel Sandulache.

After the crash, Sandulache, 26, telephoned the emergency services before handing his phone to another driver who had stopped to help.

It is alleged he was looking at his mobile in the lead up to the crash in November 2017 and had googled the name of a Romanian TV show.

Tony Lightfoot, the driver who took Sandulache's phone to make the 999 call, told the operator: “She’s out cold.”

He added: “She’s starting to jolt, she’s having a seizure.”

Her laboured breathing could then be heard on the recording.

Members of Ms Harvey's family left in tears as it was played out at Maidstone Crown Court this morning.

The operator then asked Mr Lightfoot to check on her breathing. He reported she had begun to foam at the mouth.

Mr Lightfoot reported that he could not see any visible injuries suffered by Ms Harvey after her vehicle was struck from behind by the truck, belonging to Dartford company Iveco Stralus.

Mr Lightfoot was then asked how her breathing was. He told the operator: “Her chest is going up..down, up, down, up down, up down.”

He stayed with the stricken Ms Harvey until paramedics arrived and began treatment.

Romanian Sandulache, of Bradley Way, Grays, Essex, has denied his dangerous driving had killed Ms Harvey, from Basildon in Essex.

He does admit the lesser charge of causing death by careless driving.

The maximum jail term for causing death by careless driving is five years, compared to 14 years for causing death by dangerous driving.

The trial, which is expected to last a week, continues.

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