A police officer had to have his leg amputated after being left bleeding in a field by a hit-and-run driver who knocked him off his motorbike.
Ewan Simpson feared he was going to die after callous Alan Tait abandoned him badly injured in the dark.
The 36-year-old even told another motorist no one else had been involved in the accident when he crashed his Volvo on a north-east road.
His saloon car struck Mr Simpson, crushing his right leg and throwing him into the air.
The officer hit the ground “several times” before ending up in a nearby field and later had to crawl through barbed wire to attract attention.
Mr Simpson begged Tait to stay at the scene of the accident, but he walked off claiming he would have to get help.
And when passing motorist Alexander Buchan pulled over after seeing Tait’s car, he only asked to be driven to Fraserburgh.
Mr Buchan described Tait as “worked up and wired”.
Mr Simpson, 32, had been travelling home from Fraserburgh police station when the crash happened on the A952 road near Mintlaw just after midnight on October 27.
He spotted Tait’s car veering across into his carriageway.
Advocate depute Lynsey Rodger told the High Court in Glasgow yesterday: “Tait did not brake and did not make any attempt to avoid colliding.”
She added that when Mr Buchan arrived at the scene he asked Tait if he was ok and whether anyone had been involved in the collision.
The prosecutor said: “Tait told him that no one else had been involved.”
As they drove towards Fraserburgh, Tait refused Mr Buchan’s offer of his mobile phone to call someone.
He then admitted it was the second crash in a fortnight he had been involved in.
Miss Rodger told the court: “He said he thought he must have fallen asleep because he had been driving since the previous morning.
“He said he had fallen asleep earlier in the journey, been woken up by something, but continued.”
Tait, who had been driving home to Fraserburgh from Liverpool, was eventually dropped off and went to the home of his friend, Stuart Paterson.
He told Mr Paterson he had “written-off” his Volvo – before confessing he had hit a motorbike after nodding off and then heard Mr Simpson shouting for help.
Tait added the officer had said he was “seriously injured” and that he had replied he would leave to get help.
But Tait claimed he was unable to, because his mobile phone battery was flat.
Mr Paterson called police himself to report what Tait had told him.
Meanwhile, Mr Simpson tried desperately to be seen and managed to drag himself a short distance across the field, but got caught on barbed wire.
As the officer began to fear for his life, he tried to stem the blood by tying his belt around his leg.
Miss Rodger told the court: “He screamed and screamed for help. A number of cars passed, but none stopped. He thought he was going to die.”
At 12.50am, two nurses were driving past when they saw Tait’s car still in the field.
After finding Mr Simpson, they comforted him until an ambulance arrived.
An examination later revealed that the officer had suffered multiple fractures to his right foot, ankle and lower leg.
It could not be saved and was amputated that day.
He also had fractures to his right arm, which needed bone grafts and a metal plate inserted.
He spent almost two months in hospital.
When questioned by officers about the crash, Tait refused to identify the driver and said he wanted to speak to his solicitor.
Tait – who was uninsured at the time of the accident – admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He also admitted five other charges, including culpable and reckless conduct by failing to get help for the police officer.
He had also faced an allegation he was driving while under the influence of drink or drugs but this was deleted from the charge.
Judge Lord Bannatyne deferred sentence until April 11 for background reports.
Last night, a spokeswoman for Police Scotland declined to comment.
