A Moray lorry driver has gone on trial accused of causing the death of a man by driving dangerously on a north-east road.
Glen Craib was transporting Christmas trees in a HGV vehicle in November 2015 when he approached the junction with the A90 Aberdeen to Dundee road coming out of Careston.
As he was entering the dual carriageway he crossed the lane to head south and stopped in the central reservation, leaving a part of his vehicle hanging over into the direction of oncoming traffic.
And while he waited for traffic to clear his vehicle was struck by an oncoming white Skoda driven by Witold Solski.
Sixty-five-year-old Mr Solski from Dundee was pronounced dead at the scene.
And yesterday Craib appeared in the dock at Aberdeen High Court to face trial accused of causing the pensioner’s death by dangerous driving.
The 46-year-old, of Cockmuir Place in Elgin, denies the charge.
Giving evidence on the first day of the trial police constable Jack Swindles, who was one of the first officers on the scene, took to the witness stand to describe what awaited him when he arrived at the crash.
Advocate depute Ashley Edwards asked him what he saw.
He said: “I saw a man in the driver’s seat. The seat was reclined fully into the rear. I checked to see if there were any signs of life. His eyes were open but he was not blinking. I checked for reaction however there was none. There was saliva coming out of his mouth.”
She then asked him what he did next.
The 27-year-old said: “I came back to my police vehicle, traffic was still moving.
“People were coming out of the Careston junction onto the northbound road and entering the junction from the south.
“I stayed at the junction and directed traffic away.
“Later I was approached by a man asking me if he could cross southbound part of the road to enter his lorry.
“At first I thought the car had been involved in a crash with the tractor but he told me his vehicle was involved.”
Barry Tait, who had been driving a tractor on the same side of the road as Mr Solski when the collision took place, was also called to give evidence.
Ms Edwards asked him what speeds he was travelling at.
He said: “I go at 30mph on the road.”
He was then asked what he saw as he approached the junction.
He said: “I saw the lights of a lorry approaching the A90.
“At that stage I did not see any other traffic coming in a northbound direction.
“The road was busy in a southbound direction. The lorry stopped in the central reservation.
“I then saw a car overtake me, I was surprised that it didn’t return to the inside lane.”
Ms Edwards asked how much of the lorry was left on the side of the road he was travelling on.
He replied: “About four feet.”
When asked what proportion of the road was taken up by this he struggled to give an answer.
He said: “It was only in the outside lane.”
She then asked if the car swerved before the collision.
He said: “No, it just carried on in a straight line until it hit the lorry.”
Craib’s defence agent Jonathan Crowe asked him to clarify how far away he was from the junction when he first saw the lorry to his left.
He said he was about 200 yards away.
The trial, before Judge Morris, continues.
