A driver overtook near a blind bend forcing an oncoming motorist into a ditch to avoid a head-on collision, Wick Sheriff Court was told yesterday.
In the dock was Melissa Gordon who admitted a charge of careless driving. The 36-year-old was fined £225.
The incident occurred on the A836 at the Drumhollistan Brae between Reay and Melvich, on September 17 last year. The driver of the vehicle the accused overtook told police there was “no way” the accused could see round the right-hand bend.
Fiscal Ross Carvel said that the driver of an oncoming vehicle, David Kelly, had no time to brake and took evasive action by swerving off the road into a ditch. He noted the offending vehicle’s registration, turned his car around and pursued Gordon who eventually pulled over.
Solicitor Fiona MacDonald said that the offence had been “an error of judgement” on Gordon’s part but she had contacted the police on arrival at her home at Smith Terrace, Thurso.
Gordon, a Canadian national working in the town, doesn’t hold a UK driving licence. In addition to the fine, she incurred four penalty points.
