An engineering student has been disqualified from driving after he drove through a red light before hitting two primary children with his car.
Andrew McKeown collided with the youngsters, aged seven and 11, on June 2 this year while he was heading through Cults on his way to Aberdeen.
Yesterday the 23-year-old appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, where he admitted driving without due care and attention.
Fiscal depute Sandy Hutchison said McKeown, a student at Glasgow University, had been travelling to Aberdeen as he was taking part in an internship with a city-based firm.
As he was driving through Kirkbrae, Cults, the two pupils were standing on the pavement at the side of the pedestrian crossing.
The court heard the children pressed the button and waited for the green man to appear. However, as they started to cross the road, thinking it was safe to do so, McKeown’s grey Ford Focus continued to drive through the red light.
Mr Hutchison said: “Both witness moved to make the crossing and the accused failed to stop at the crossing, striking both the witnesses who were thrown into the air before landing on the road. He stopped and went to check on them. Both children were relatively uninjured.”
Mr Hutchison said the emergency services were called and took the children to the hospital where they were treated for “cuts and bruises”.
When the police reached the scene McKeown was standing by his car and was heard to say “I can’t believe I just hit two little kids with my car”.
The court heard McKeown, of 5 Glenorchy Place, Airdrie, had been distracted from the crossing by a bin lorry which was collecting rubbish close by, and had failed to notice the red light or the children.
The court heard he was travelling at a slow speed which minimised the injuries to the youngsters.
Sheriff Annella Cowan told the student the offence was a “serious piece of carelessness”, fined him £750 and disqualified him from driving for three months.
She said the law did not allow her to impose a compensation order but advised him that the family would be in a position to sue him over the accident.