A dangerous driver disappeared from the scene of a high-speed crash that left his cousin lying in the middle of the road with horrific injuries.
Lee Morrison suffered a fractured skull and broken neck after being thrown from the pick-up truck but the driver – relative Darren Morrison – was nowhere to be found.
Despite a search involving police dogs, Morrison, 30, wasn’t traced until the following day, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Prior to the accident, Morrison was seen crashing his powerful red Volkswagen Amarok into a number of parked cars near the Nile Takeaway in Banchory.
He then took drove off at high speed and was seen travelling at 80mph in a 40mph zone before crashing his car into a wall.
‘Passenger side roof of the car had been caved in’
Fiscal depute Jennifer Pritchard told the court that at around 9.30pm on May 29 2021, Morrison’s vehicle was seen leaving Bellfield Car Park before it crashed into three parked cars.
Around 15 minutes later, two witnesses were sitting in the living room of their home near Glassel Road, on the outskirts of the town, when they saw the pick-up speed past doing at least 80mph.
A short time later, two other witnesses were in their home when they heard a “loud bang that sounded like a collision”.
“One witness went outside and saw the vehicle heavily damaged on the opposite side of the road,” Ms Pritchard said.
“The passenger side roof of the car had been caved in and there was debris all over the road.
“She saw there was damage to the stone wall and fence which surrounds her property and is adjacent to the road.
“She also heard someone shout ‘help’ and as she went to speak to her neighbour, she saw Lee Morrison lying in the road.”
As police and ambulance units arrived, officers used police dogs in an attempt to locate Darren Morrison in nearby woodland but they were unsuccessful.
He was traced the following day and he admitted to being the driver.
Cousin left with serious injuries
Morrison’s cousin suffered a fractured skull, two fractured vertebrae in his neck and back, a severe concussion and required seven stitches to the back of his head.
Darren Morrison sustained two broken ribs, a punctured lung and now has impaired vision.
He pleaded guilty to one charge of causing a serious road accident by driving his vehicle dangerously and at excessive speed.
Defence agent Liam McAllister called for background reports to be carried out into Morrison prior to sentencing.
Sheriff Ian Wallace deferred sentence on Morrison, of Woodside, Lumphanan, until next month in order for a criminal justice social work report and a restriction of liberty order assessment to be carried out.
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