The boss of security giant G4S has told a jury how he survived a “catastrophic” road crash near Perth which left his wife and a five-year-old boy seriously hurt.
Chris Burr, managing director for G4S Events UK, fought back tears as he relived the traumatic collision on the A9, near Broxden.
The 36-year-old told of the anguish of having to leave his badly injured wife Amanda in the wreckage of the car, while he carried two young children to safety.
Auchterarder pensioner Brian Raitt has been found guilty of causing the crash, by driving his van dangerously and pulling out into the path of Mr Burr’s car on July 20, 2018.
A jury took less than an hour to find the 70-year-old guilty following a three-day trial at Perth Sheriff Court.
The moment of impact
Mr Burr said he and his wife left home in Glasgow that morning and were heading north to visit family in Dundee.
The court heard that two preschool-age children were secured in car seats in the back of the black Renault Kadjur, a hire car.
The accident happened just after 10am.
“When I was driving north towards Perth, I could see a vehicle coming out of a layby on the left-hand side,” Mr Burr said.
“I moved across into the over-taking lane, but this vehicle proceeded to come out in front of us. I recall it slowly moving forward.”
Mr Burr, who was travelling at about 70mph, said: “I said to my wife: ‘We’re going to…’
“But before I could say ‘crash,’ we hit the vehicle.”
He said: “It all happened in a split-second. I couldn’t have done much to avoid it.
“We hit the side of vehicle front on, and our car started spinning around and around.
“I remember the noise, this very loud ‘boff’ sound, and the feel of the car spinning.
“I came round and I could see that the car had stopped and we were facing the wrong way.
“And then my wife screamed that the car was on fire.”
Escape
The court heard that there was no fire, but there was a smoky smell from the deployed airbags.
“I tried to get out and tried to get the two children to safety,” he said.
“I was in pain, but managed to limp across the road with the children. They were upset and crying.”
He said he reached a layby with the youngsters. “There were people there who had stopped to give us blankets,” he said.
“My wife was still in the car. She said that she couldn’t feel her legs and she was struggling to breathe.
“I was trying to get back to my wife, but was also trying to keep the children calm.”
Mr Burr said: “My wife thought she was going to die. A man came up to me and said it wasn’t looking good and I should go over and sit with her.”
Mrs Burr was cut free from the car by firefighters and rushed to hospital.
She was in the High Dependency Unit at Ninewells for a week, before being transferred to hospital in Glasgow.
‘Catastrophic’ impact
Mr Burr described the crash as “catastrophic”.
The court heard that, three years on, both children were still frightened of long car journeys and would ask to avoid motorways.
Passing the crash site at Broxden triggers traumatic memories for them, the court heard.
Raitt, of Grand Eagles Caravan Site, Dunning Road, had always accepted criminal responsibility for the crash, but had tried to plead guilty to a lesser charge of careless driving.
He has been banned from the road and will be sentenced at Dunfermline Sheriff Court in September.
