A man who crashed after speeding through Methil at 80mph has been jailed.
James Forrester left a pregnant woman with serious head injuries after hitting a tree at nearly twice the speed limit in Methil.
He reached speeds of up to 80mph in the 30mph limit, before crashing while the woman and a young child were in the car.
The child was secured with just the car’s lapbelt.
The speedometer of Forrester’s Volkswagen Bora jammed at 56mph, suggesting the 40-year-old was travelling at almost twice the limit at the point of impact.
Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard that in the aftermath he told police he thought a dodgy wheel on the newly-bought car was to blame and had to be ordered not to leave the scene.
The woman was not wearing a seat belt and suffered injuries so severe that she was taken to Ninewells hospital with a police escort.
Long time to reflect
Last month, Forrester admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He appeared from custody this week and was sentenced to 27 months behind bars.
Sheriff James Williamson also disqualified him from driving for 45 months.
Forrester’s solicitor Joe Mooney said of his client’s passenger: “Given the injuries sustained, rehabilitation is clearly going to take some time.
“She was pregnant at the time of the incident.
“The child was born in December 2020. There’s no difficulties there.
“The report indicates that Mr Forrester has a very good awareness of why he should not be doing what he was doing.
“It’s difficult to come up with a reason for that.
“I’ve known Mr Forrester for some time.
“There is a genuine concern here for Mr Forrester.
“For a man who has been in two road traffic incidents that weren’t his fault, you’d think there was some sort of wake up call.”
Mr Mooney said his client had been being prescribed antipsychotic drugs and Tramadol since being remanded.
“He’s going to have a long time to reflect on his actions.
“He’s had a struggle with his mental health and substance misuse.
“Familiarity with the road, I think, has led to him driving the way he did.”
Sheriff Williamson told Forrester the woman “suffered life-threatening injuries” and noted she had warned him to slow down.
“I’m afraid there’s no alternative to a custodial sentence,” he said.
Horror crash
The crash happened on South Road – a stretch of bend between a roundabout and the turn-off for Bayview Stadium.
At the previous hearing, fiscal depute Alistair McDermid accepted the guilty plea to an amended charge, which deleted reference to injuries suffered by the youngster.
Mr McDermid told the court: “At 6.50pm the accused, (the woman and the toddler) went to visit friends and travelled in the accused’s Volkswagen Bora, which he had purchased the day before.
“The complainer looked at the speedometer and saw it was 80mph.
“She screamed at the accused to slow down, which he did as he approached the roundabout.
“He negotiated the roundabout and then sped up again.
“She stated that the accused was driving so fast the car skidded but she could not remember anything after that.”
A runner crossing the road and a woman in her home both witnessed the crash and rushed to the aid of Forrester and his passengers.
Forrester escaped the wreckage and the helpers were able to get the child out of the car, but the woman was trapped inside.
Six weeks in hospital
Mr McDermid added: “The accused stated he had just had alloys fitted and that one had come loose.
“(The woman) had a depressed skull fracture and was in a critical condition.
“She was taken to Ninewells under police escort.”
En route, the woman’s condition deteriorated and she was initially placed on a ventilator in the intensive care unit.
She was later moved to the high-dependency unit and spent a total of six weeks in hospital.
Her injuries included a “traumatic brain injury”, a fractured jaw and fluid around her spleen.
Mr Mooney said Forrester had driven the stretch of road “thousands of times”.
Forrester, of Kirkland Gardens, Methil, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving on the town’s Wellesley Road and South Street on May 17 2020.
The charge stated he drove at excessive speed, lost control, mounted a pavement and grass verge before hitting a tree.
He further admitted driving without insurance, for which he was disqualified for 12 months.
