A dozy driver who nodded off and smashed straight into an oncoming van in an early morning Angus accident has been told by a sheriff he is lucky no-one lost their life in the crash.
David Stott had been on the go for almost 24 hours when he was heading back from Aberdeen with his girlfriend in the car on April 15 last year.
But at Rossie Braes just south of Montrose on the A92, the 36-year-old’s lack of sleep caught up with him and he ploughed straight into the oncoming Vauxhall.
The van driver suffered a broken finger and smashed knuckle in the incident which Forfar sheriff court heard had left him suffering nightmares, with both Stott and his girlfriend sustaining broken collarbones.
Depute fiscal Jill Drummod told the court the crash on the single carriageway, 60mph-limit stretch happened just before 6.30am.
She said witnesses reported that Stott’s black Mercedes started to drift across the road and made “no effort” to avoid hitting the oncoming Vauxhall Vivaro, leading to the head-on impact.
Police, fire service and paramedics rushed to the scene and closed the busy coastal road as a result of the crash.
Defence solicitor Nick Markowksi said his client wished to publicly apologise to both the other driver and his passenger.
He said Stott had been at work the day before and had then gone to Aberdeen for a planned night out with his girlfriend, with the intention of staying there.
A family situation subsequently developed which meant the pair did not get any sleep and Stott decided to drive home.
“Around 4am on the way home the vehicle then suffered a puncture. He had less than an hour’s sleep while he waited at the roadside and they then continued on their journey after a space saver wheel had been fitted,” added Mr Markowski.
“At that point he should have stopped at Montrose, but she insisted he take her home to Arbroath and unfortunately – and most regrettably – it does appear that he fell asleep”.
Stott, of Waterside Road, Montrose admitted a charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and the solicitor said his client was aware of the gravity of the offence.
“He understands that for an offence such as this the court’s normal approach is imprisonment, unless there is a direct alternative.”
Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown told the accused: “There is a very supportive character reference from your employer and I take that into account.
“But this is a serious matter and it’s fortunate that the injuries were not more serious, or even fatal.”
Sheriff Martin-Brown banned Stott from driving for a year and imposed an 18-month Community Payback Order including 150 hours of unpaid work.
