A 73-year-old biker was left seriously injured following a head-on smash in the Perthshire countryside.
Pensioner Henry Pullar suffered multiple broken bones in the smash on the A85 near Comrie, on the edge of the Dunira Estate.
Fellow biker Stuart Batty appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted causing Mr Pullar’s injuries by careless driving on June 4 last year.
The court heard how the 61-year-old drove his white Tiger Triumph into the path of the pensioner’s Suzuki AN650 “in a momentary lapse of concentration”.
Batty, of Seton Place, Dalgety Bay, was banned from the road and may have dashed his hopes of becoming an official instructor for the charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists, now rebranded IAM RoadSmart.
Road locked down
Prosecutor Elizabeth Hodgson told the court: “At around 4.10pm, both the accused and the complainer were riding their motorcycles in the area, near the Dunira Estate.
“They both approached a double bend in the road.
“The accused drove his bike in such a manner that it caused him to go into the opposing carriageway, where Mr Pullar was travelling.
“He collided with the complainer head on, causing both riders to be thrown from their motor cycles.
“Emergency services were contacted and police attended.
“A full road closure was necessary.”
The route was locked down for about an hour, while both bikers were rushed by ambulance to Ninewells Hospital.
Ms Hodgson said: “The complainer suffered fractures to both knees and his right wrist.”
Horrible consequences
A solicitor for Batty told the court: “He is a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists and had been training to become a instructor on a voluntary basis.
“This was an extremely unfortunate accident which resulted in horrible consequences.
“He had been on a run with the institute and this was a momentary lapse in concentration.
“He does not think he will ever be on a run like this again.”
“Mr Batty is extremely apologetic.”
She added: “For what it’s worth, he did not walk away from this collision unscathed.
“He injured his knee and was unconscious for a period of time.”
She confirmed her client had no previous convictions.
“It is very much out of character,” she said.
Sheriff Craig McSherry fined Batty £700 and banned him from driving for a year.
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