A bus driver has admitted killing an elderly passenger by braking “violently” in the path of an oncoming car in a Fife village.
Michael Gillespie, 35, caused the death of grandmother Elizabeth Colville, 82, in Freuchie, on April 8, 2019.
Gillespie, of Kirkcaldy, drove at excessive speed on the wrong side of the road, before applying his brakes when he saw the car coming towards him.
Miss Colville – a retired mum of three – struck her head after being being thrown forward.
The pensioner was left so severely injured, she died three days later in hospital.
She suffered a brain injury, damage to her spinal cord and a fractured vertebrae.
Gillespie – a first offender – pled guilty during the second day of his trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
He was initially charged with causing death by dangerous driving but the Crown accepted a plea of causing death by careless driving.
The court was told Gillespie lost his employment following the incident.
Louise Arrol, defending, will make her plea in mitigation at the sentencing in May.
Gillespie – a married father-of-one – was disqualified from driving and granted bail meantime.
Car driver’s evidence
Jane Gourley, 82, had told jurors she was driving in the opposite direction to the bus, with parked cars on the other side of the road.
Mrs Gourlay said: “I thought that the driver would move over before he got to the parked cars but he seemed to pick up speed and came towards me.”
She said: “I was almost stopped by the time I saw him coming straight towards me…it just stopped in front of my car.
“I had nowhere to go, I couldn’t do anything else because of the parked cars on my right.”
It was also revealed in a collision investigation report the bus went from 25 miles per hour to 0 within four seconds at the time of the incident.
Bid to save Miss Colville
Robert Graham, 70, was one of 14 passengers on the bus.
He previously told court he saw Gillespie overtake a parked car on two-lane Freuchie High Street.
He said Miss Colville “flew through the air until she hit the barrier”.
Mr Graham claimed Miss Colville was initially conscious while passengers went to her aid.
Another passenger Carolanne Zock, 52, recalled giving the victim CPR at the scene.
She said: “I got her in the recovery position and she said one word then she turned blue.
“I did mouth to mouth and chest compressions – she wasn’t breathing at one point.”
Miss Zock added that Miss Colville had no pulse but was able to breathe before emergency services attended.
