An American tourist was so flustered after missing a turn that he drove on the wrong side of the road and caused a serious crash, a court has heard.
Matthew Lindgren, from Idaho, was driving from Skye to Fort William with his wife and children when he crossed into the opposite carriageway of the A887 and collided with an oncoming car.
Both Lindgren and the other driver were trapped in their vehicles by the impact and were left with serious injuries. Lindgren’s wife and children escaped unscathed.
Lindgren, 42, was not present at court in Inverness as solicitor Donald Mackenzie entered a plea of guilty on his behalf to a single charge of causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving.
Fiscal depute Emma MacEwan said the incident had taken place on June 28 last year as Lindgren drove from Portree to Fort William with his family in a white Peugeot.
She said: “The accused missed a right turn at Bun Loyne junction and had thereafter turned the vehicle around and was heading west.
“The witness was driving eastbound towards Invermoriston.
“He observed the white Peugeot drive onto the wrong side of the road, tried to take evasive action but had insufficient time and distance to take evasive action.
“The vehicles subsequently collided front side to front side.”
Following the collision, Lindgren’s car came to rest in the centre of the carriageway, the other vehicle, an Audi, on the verge.
A887 crash trapped drivers in vehicles
“Both the accused and the witness driving the Audi were trapped in their vehicles,” Ms MacEwan said.
Police, fire and ambulance crews were called to the scene and both men were subsequently taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Lindgren, who was hospitalised in Scotland for two weeks and spent a further 10 days in hospital in America on his return, suffered broken ribs and fractured vertebrae as well as other injuries.
The other driver had two broken ankles, bruising to the pelvis and spent a week in hospital.
Driver was ‘distracted and flustered’
Solicitor Donald Mackenzie told the court that his client, a married father of two, had been on a summer holiday with his family at the time of the accident and had been travelling from Skye to Fort William on the day in question.
He said: “He and his wife were about one mile past the junction before they realised that they had missed it.
“He executed a U-turn without incident and was heading back west toward the junction when the accident occurred.”
He said that his client did not remember the collision itself but did have a memory of his wife shouting “Car!” in the moments beforehand.
He said his client, a mechanic at an oil pipeline facility, was not in a position to dispute that he was on the wrong side of the road, adding: “His theory is that he had become distracted and flustered at the navigation error.”
Sheriff Robert Frazer deferred sentence on Lindgren, of Seldom Seen Road, Sandpoint, Idaho, until next month to try and arrange for his appearance by videolink.
