An Angus man has appeared in court facing four driving charges following a horror smash on a country road.
Darren Barr from Friockheim appeared from custody at Forfar Sheriff Court before Sheriff Gregor Murray in connection with the accident near Inverkeilor on Wednesday afternoon.
The charges followed a major emergency service operation on Wednesday, after a black Vauxhall Vectra careered off the A92 between Arbroath and Montrose.
Barr faced four charges relating to the crash during a brief appearance on petition under the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Prosecutors allege Barr caused serious injury to another person through dangerous driving, did so while disqualified from holding a licence, drove without the requisite motor insurance, and failed to provide a specimen of blood or breath to authorities for the purpose of drink or drug testing.
Barr was charged under Sections 1a, 103(1)(b), 143(1&2), and 7(6) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 as amended by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
The 35-year-old made no plea or declaration during the hearing in private, was committed for further examination, and released on bail.
A date has not yet been set for his next appearance at court.
The vehicle was completely burnt out by the fierce blaze, but all of those in the car – including a dog – walked away from the dramatic crash.
The incident occurred at the Inverkeilor junction just before 4.30pm when the car, believed to have been travelling northwards towards Montrose, left the road.
It cleared a steep embankment and pitched into the field below, sustaining significant front-end damage.
The blaze sent a large plume of smoke into the Angus skies which was visible from a wide area and was obvious to motorists on the adjacent coast road, although traffic on the route was not affected.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue crew from Arbroath rushed to the scene and extinguished the fire, which reduced the Vauxhall to a charred shell.
