A widower has relived the final seconds before his wife was killed in a crash on a Highland road.
Caroline Thomson, the former chairwoman of NHS Highland, died in the two-car crash on the outskirts of Dingwall in August 2016.
Sean Yorke is on trial at Inverness Sheriff Court, accused of causing the 63-year-old’s death by driving carelessly at excessive speed on the A835 Tore to Ledmore, and swerving on to the opposite carriageway one mile west of Maryburgh.
The 34-year-old, from Coventry, denies the charge.
Yesterday, Mrs Thomson’s husband Alan – who was seriously injured in the crash – told the court it took just seconds from them spotting Yorke’s car to him hitting their Audi A8.
Mr Thomson, 68, said he had a split second to decide whether he should veer on to the other side of the road to avoid the oncoming car.
“I said to my wife, ‘oh my God, the driver must be drunk or a foreign tourist. That took five seconds then I moved to the right but it was a second too late.
“If I had done nothing, all three of us would have been killed.”
Other witnesses told the court Yorke may have swerved into the Thomsons’ path to avoid a deer.
But Mr Thomson, from Daviot, said he didn’t see any animals which could have caused Yorke to swerve.
“It didn’t make any sense that he should be on my side of the road,” he said. “It was so illogical that someone should change lanes.”
Calum Mackay, from Inverness, told the trial he had overtaken Mr Thomson on the night of the crash on August 16, 2016.
The 27-year-old fisherman said: “I saw a little deer just standing in the middle of the road. A car was going in the opposite direction and I checked my mirror and saw it brake and swerve.”
It was only later on social media that Mr Mackay realised he had seen the prelude to the accident and contacted police.
Aberdeen primary school teacher, David Gibson, 59, was the first on the scene.
He told the jury that when he got out of his car, he heard a deer baying.
He said he went to assist Mr and Mrs Thomson, who was also a director of several charities.
Mr Gibson added: “I could see she was badly injured. I wasn’t sure how much help I could be for her. I was concerned I would do more damage.
“The other driver (Yorke) was standing on the verge. He was shocked and dazed. He said he had swerved to avoid a deer.”
The trial continues.
