The terrifying moment a lorry pulled out in front of a van at “one of the most challenging junctions in the north-east” has been captured on dashcam footage.
Douglas Knight was behind the wheel of the articulated lorry when it pulled out of the Drumlithie junction onto the A90 near Glenbervie.
But the 61-year-old mistimed the manoeuvre and left a van spinning out of control into the central reservation and into the lorry itself as it tried to avoid a collision.
The former haulage firm owner has been allowed to keep his licence after his solicitor argued the junction was “very bad” and that his client had “almost made it”.
Dramatic dashcam footage of the incident was played to Aberdeen Sheriff Court and has now been released to The Press and Journal by the Crown Office.
Filmed from a vehicle coming in the other direction of the dual carriageway, it catches the moment of impact and shows the van spinning wildly while debris is left strewn across the road.
The driver of the van suffered a fractured wrist in the crash.
‘He misjudged the speed of the oncoming vehicle’
Knight, of Strathdon, pled guilty to a charge of careless driving over the incident, which happened on February 7 2022.
Defence agent David Sutherland told the court: “This is one of the most challenging junctions in the north-east of Scotland.
“He lets one car go past. He thinks he has enough time to drive across.
“He almost made it in the sense that the impact was at the very rear of his trailer.
“He accepts he misjudged the speed of the oncoming vehicle.
‘Every driver needs to be more careful than average’
“It’s a very bad road junction”.
Mr Sutherland said his client had been involved in driving lorries for more than 40 years, at one point employing 10 drivers in a company he took over from his father.
The lawyer said the incident was “of great regret”.
He argued a disqualification from driving would be “disproportionate” as the nearest bus stop to Knight’s home was 18 miles away in Alford.
Sheriff Margaret Hodge said: “I’ve taken into account the circumstances, in particular the difficulty and dangerous nature of this junction which I think can be said to be in judicial knowledge.
“It seems to me that probably every driver needs to be more careful than average when turning at this junction.
“I accept it was an error of judgement.”
The sheriff fined Knight £580 and gave him eight penalty points.
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