A top football agent killed a Highways Officer and left his colleague paralysed while exchanging 25 messages on his phone as he sped down the M6 in appalling weather, a court heard.
Peter Morrison, 36, sent and received WhatsApp messages with Manchester City defender Cameron Humphreys, 19, and 22-year-old Nottingham Forest striker Zach Clough, jurors were told.
He was travelling on the M6 near Tebay, Cumbria, in his Mercedes ML 4x4 at an average speed of 81mph, despite there being a 50mph limit because of the adverse weather conditions.
Carlisle Crown Court heard he swung across three lanes of the motorway, killing Highways Officer Adam Gibb and injuring his fellow worker Paul Holroyd.