A Swiss campervan driver steered into the path of an oncoming vehicle causing a head-on crash that left a woman with life-changing injuries.
Lucas Jaquier said a “bad reflex” caused him to turn to the right when he encountered another car on the A890 near Auchtertyre.
The action – which he blamed on being used to driving on the other side of the road – led to a smash that inflicted devastating injuries to hotel manager Sarah Archer, from Dornie.
Miss Archer, who was 35 at the time of last summer’s crash, was so badly injured that she had to rely on a wheelchair for five months and has only recently begun to walk and drive again.
Jaquier’s young son was also seriously injured in the incident and required ongoing medical treatment on their return to Switzerland.
Campervan ‘remained on right’
Jaquier, 36, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court and admitted a charge of dangerous driving in relation to the July 30 crash.
Fiscal depute Emily Hood told the court that it was around 2.30pm when Jaquier’s Grey Volkswagen California turned from the A97 onto the A890 near Auchtertyre.
She said: “As the accused completed the right-hand turn he has remained on right-hand side of the road and continued like this as he negotiated a steep incline and right-hand bend.”
The court heard that Miss Archer was driving her blue Vauxhall Mokka and was negotiating the same bend in the opposite direction.
“The vehicles have collided head-on. The collision was fully in the left-hand lane – on the right-hand side for the accused,” Ms Hood told the court.
Jaquier and his three children were all able to free themselves from their vehicle, but Miss Archer required assistance.
‘I’m really sorry that you’re going to see me die’
Jaquier identified himself as the driver and told police: “It was basically a bad reflex. Both vehicles were driving in the middle of the road as there were no road markings and, because of habit, I turned my wheel towards the right.
“It was a bad reflex because I’m used to driving on the other side of the road.”
Miss Archer’s fiance Innes Watson – who had been following close behind in his own vehicle after driving her to collect her car from a garage – was one of the first people on the scene.
He told the Daily Record in August: “I realised one of the cars was Sarah’s. I could see how bad the wreckage was and my first thought was that she might be dead.
“Then I saw her lying on the ground. She was in a bad way and she was screaming, but I only felt relief because I knew she was alive.
“At one point Sarah said: ‘I’m really sorry that you’re going to see me die’.
“It was a hellish experience.”
Jaquier escaped the incident with cuts and bruises but Miss Archer suffered fractures to her wrists, fingers, knees and toes.
Since metal rods were removed from her wrists she has struggled to use them, the court was told.
Due to the injuries to her knees, Miss Archer was confined to a wheelchair for five months.
Solicitor Patrick O’Dea, for Jaquier, told the court his client felt “a great deal of remorse for what had happened”.
“He will continue to feel guilt over what has happened for a very long time,” Mr O’Dea said.
The solicitor said Jaquier, who works as a health and safety inspector in Switzerland, made a living from ensuring “rules are followed”.
Mr O’Dea told Sheriff Gary Aitken his client could only offer the same explanation to the court that he had to the police – that his actions were caused by a “bad reflex”.
‘Pure luck’ crash was ‘not fatal’
After reading a victim impact statement submitted to the court, Sheriff Aitken said: “There was a significant lapse on your part. The consequences of this collision have been very grave.
“Given the nature of the collision, it is a matter of pure luck that the consequences were not fatal.”
Sheriff Aitken fined Jaquier, of Route de Forestal, Geneva, £6,350 and disqualified him from driving in the UK for 16 months.
He told him: “If you did wish to drive in the UK after that period you would be required to sit and pass the extended UK test to drive.”
Miss Archer, who was visibly emotional as the narrative was read and sentence delivered, declined to comment following the sentencing.
