A woman accused of causing her partner’s death in a car crash could have been driving too fast for the road conditions with a defective tyre, a court heard today.
Vicki Williamson, 36, and her partner Liam Thornton, of Aberdeen, were injured, along with a young child, when her Vauxhall Corsa was involved in a collision.
The accident happened on the A956 Charleston Flyover on the south of Aberdeen on August 12, 2014.
Mr Thornton, 26, was rushed to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and later died in hospital.
Williamson, of Dundee, went on trial at the city’s sheriff court charged with causing death by careless driving on Tuesday. She denies the offence.
Giving evidence today police sergeant Graham Mutch told the court the accident happened at the top of a sweeping bend on a slip road off the A90 Aberdeen to Dundee road.
The collision investigator said the road was wet at the time of the collision with the blue Ford Focus.
Skid tests were carried out on the road and it was also checked over for defects to determine the cause of the crash.
Examinations of the car revealed that the tread on the inner edge of the rear near side tyre was under the 1.6 millimetre legal limit.
Collision investigators concluded that the most likely cause of the collision was that the car was driven at an inappropriate speed on the corner for the conditions.
This could have caused a loss of grip between the tyres and the road and the condition of the detective tyre could also have had an effect on the cornering ability of the vehicle.
Police sergeant Keith Greig also gave evidence and said he had been tasked with with waiting at the city hospital for updates on Mr Thornton’s condition after the collision.
He was informed that Williamson was keen to speak to police at the hospital and took a statement from her two days later.
In the statement, which was read out to the court, Williamson told officers: “I just felt like I hit black ice which I have done before.
“But I know it wasn’t as it was six o’clock on a summers night.
“There was no water on the road when it happened.
“My steering took no effect as I tried to steer away from the other car.”
The trial continues.
