A boy racer who deliberately drove so fast his car took off over a humped back bridge has admitted seriously injuring two of his friends.
Arron McDonald, 20, ignored his friends’ pleas to slow down moments before the crash, which left one of them with severe spinal injuries.
McDonald – who had only passed his driving test a few months earlier – put his foot down in a deliberate bid to make his Vauxhall Corsa fly through the air.
The car took off but McDonald lost control and rolled into a field, causing serious injury to passengers Marcus Anderson and Cameron Saile.
Serious injuries
McDonald, of Cupar Mills, Cupar, appeared in the dock at Dundee Sheriff Court yesterday and admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving on October 20, 2019.
He admitted “driving onto a humped back bridge at excessive speed, with the intention of making the car go airborne” on Kettle Road in Ladybank, Fife.
He admitted losing control and rolling the car into a field, whereby Mr Anderson sustained a dislocated right shoulder and Mr Saile was left with a number of injuries.
Mr Saile sustained bruising and soft tissue damage to his head, two fractures to his neck which required surgery, and dislocated neck bones.
He also suffered two fractures to his sternum, multiple spine fractures requiring a brace and bruised lungs.
Mr Saile lost consciousness as a result of the impact.
Passed test on first attempt
Fiscal depute Stewart Duncan told the court Mr Saile had submitted a victim impact statement in which he outlined the efforts made in urging McDonald to slow down and stop showing off at the wheel.
Solicitor Paul Parker-Smith, defending, told the court McDonald passed his test in May, 2019 and caused the accident less than six months later.
Mr Parker-Smith said: “He is well aware of the extremely serious nature of the charge. He has no previous convictions.
“He passed his test at the first attempt.”
Sheriff Richard MacFarlane imposed an interim driving ban and deferred sentence on McDonald for the preparation of social background reports.
He said: “This charge, on any view, is a very serious matter indeed.
“I am familiar with the road and it was just so ill-advised – especially with the encouragement of your passengers to slow down – that you should continue on your way with such dreadful consequences, particularly for Mr Saile.”
