A Peterhead driver who caused a serious head-on collision that saw another car roll over and burst into flames has no recollection of how it happened.
Jacqueline Bruce, 61, was driving on the A920 Ellon to Pitmedden Road when her grey Land Rover veered into the oncoming lane, striking a silver Ford and forcing it off the road.
The car – driven by another woman – turned over several times before its engine caught fire.
The other driver suffered multiple serious injuries and was placed on life support for several weeks, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Air ambulance attended crash site
Fiscal depute Alan Townsend said that at around 1.35pm on November 13 2024, the driver of the silver Ford was on her way to visit her son, driving east on the A920 Ellen to Pitmedden Road, near Thornhill.
Bruce was driving in the opposite direction with her husband in the passenger seat was seen by other witnesses moving into the opposing lane into the path of oncoming traffic.
The woman driving the Ford tried to slow down to avoid a collision, but was unable to do so, resulting in a head-on crash.
The Ford leave the road and rolled over several times before coming to rest in a field, where the engine caught fire.
Bruce’s Land Rover came to rest on a small embankment, and she and her husband managed to get out of their vehicle.
However, the other driver suffered serious injuries, and the emergency services were called alongside an air ambulance.
When Bruce was spoken by police, she stated that she didn’t know how the accident had occurred but admitted she had been driving.
She then provided negative tests for drugs and alcohol.
The other driver was flown by helicopter to hospital, where her injuries were assessed and she was found to have suffered a lacerated spleen, collapsed lungs, pelvic and kidney hematoma and numerous cracked ribs.
As a result, the woman had to spend several weeks on life support.
In the dock, Bruce pleaded guilty to one charge of causing serious injury by driving without due care or attention.
‘Cause is unexplained’
Defence solicitor Stuart Flowerdew said his client “knows this is a truly horrific situation” but added that it was not caused by Bruce attempting to overtake other vehicles.
“She says she has no idea how this had taken place”, the solicitor said, claiming Bruce had “no recollection” of what happened.
“Mrs Bruce has been driving for 32 years without incident – the cause of this is unexplained,” Mr Flowerdew went on.
“This is being reported as a brief loss of consciousness and she had not slept well the night before.
“For reasons that are unknown, she veered across the road.”
Mr Flowerdew added that Bruce had been examined by both a GP and a cardiologist, and no health issues were discovered that could explain the incident.
Sheriff Mark Stewart told Bruce: “This is a serious road traffic accident, and it is serious not only because of what happened, but it’s serious in relation to what can happen by cars drifting across the road.
“It’s a clear example of how dangerous roads can be when unexpected things happen.
“I’m told there are no diagnosed medical reasons for this and I accept that you weren’t trying to drive in a manner that was trying to cause a road traffic accident, but I’m left not knowing what caused these two vehicles to collide.
“It seems to me that the only thing that can explain it is that there was some loss of control of the vehicle.”
Describing it as a “traumatic incident”, Sheriff Stewart disqualified Bruce, of Oleander Road, Peterhead, from driving for 18 months and made her subject to a £1,040 fine.
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