A dangerous driver who almost killed a child in a horror car crash has narrowly avoided a prison sentence.
Kieran MacPherson lost control of his car as he was overtaking on a bend and caused the crash that left a nine-year-old girl fighting for her life.
The 24-year-old’s Fiat Abarth struck another car and sent that driver careering into the girl’s father’s Nissan Juke on the A941 between Dufftown and Craigellachie on February 23 2020.
The youngster suffered serious head injuries, a punctured lung and multiple fractures in the collision, Inverness Sheriff Court was told.
MacPherson, of High Street, Aberlour, admitted causing serious injury to the girl and her father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, by driving dangerously.
Defending MacPherson, solicitor David Patterson said: “He thought the overtake was safe and found himself in a situation where he put his foot down rather than hit the brake which is what he should have done.
“It is something that has scared him. He made a fatal error and he recognises it had dreadful consequences.
“He is absolutely gutted not for himself but the damage he has caused to the father and daughter.”
Car rounded bend sideways
Fiscal depute Susan Love previously told the court that MacPherson’s Fiat Abarth drove along the A941 at excessive speed for the road and performed an overtake of the girl’s father’s white SUV on a bend.
“He pulled away from him too fast,” she said. “No braking was observed. Multiple witnesses recall seeing his vehicle as being out of control as it rounded the bend and came towards them sideways.”
The court heard that MacPherson collided with a grey Audi coming in the opposite direction which rotated on the road and hit the father and daughter’s car.
“The accused’s vehicle came to rest facing north, partly on the grass verge and southbound carriageway – approximately 100 metres north of the others. He appeared to be uninjured,” Ms Love said.
The nine-year-old who was wearing a seat belt was unconscious and was taken to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin before being transferred to Edinburgh by air ambulance with life-threatening injuries.
‘A car can be a deadly weapon’
The others involved in the crash were able to get out of the vehicles themselves and the road was closed for 12 hours, the court heard.
The young girl suffered a major head injury, a punctured lung, a lacerated liver, and fractures to her spine, shoulder, leg and collarbone.
Her father also suffered a spinal fracture and muscle damage to his left shoulder.
The three people in the Audi suffered extensive bruising.
Appearing for sentencing today, Sheriff Sara Matheson told him: “You should be in no doubt that you are never closer to going to jail as you are now.
“It is only because you have shown insight into what you have done, your age and your lack of record that you are not.
“This case perfectly portrays that a car can be a deadly weapon.”
MacPherson was told to perform 270 hours of unpaid community work, and was banned from driving for three years.
