A 24-year-old hairdresser seriously injured her pal and two other women by driving dangerously and crashing into a bridge, a court heard yesterday.
Rachel Smith, of Kintail Crescent, Inverness, pleaded not guilty to swerving at excessive speed from lane to lane and changing music on her mobile phone prior to the crash into Mineral Bridge, near Dingwall, on May 27 last year.
After hearing two days of evidence, Sheriff Margaret Neilson found her guilty and banned Smith from driving for two years.
She also fined her £750.
The Sheriff rejected Smith’s evidence, and that of her front seat passenger, Beauly digger driver Duncan Mackintosh, which claimed the three women in the back seat had lied about her driving.
The court heard that Smith had picked up Mr Mackintosh from his home before driving to Tain because she was unfamiliar with the route.
Smith then set off to drive from Sophie McCoy’s Tain home with two of her friends into Inverness for a 21st birthday celebration.
The court heard that the three women sat in the back seat of the car drinking alcohol but none were wearing seat belts.
Miss McCoy, Jacqueline Greenlees and Carolyne Ashcroft, all in their early 20s, said Smith had not being paying attention to the road and had been swerving from lane to lane.
Miss Ashcroft said Smith was more interested in Mr Mackintosh than the road, and at one stage she drove at 65mph in excess of the 60mph speed limit.
The women also said that Smith had changed a tune on her mobile phone while driving before the collision took place.
Police Scotland collision expert PC Mark Dallaway told the trial that tyre marks were seen on gravel just before the bend into the bridge.
He added that there were also grass divots on a verge which suggested the vehicle had braked before impact.
PC Dallaway said that in his opinion due to the damage to the front end of the car, it had not been travelling at “high speed.”
All three women victims admitted that they were pursuing personal injury claims against Smith.
Ms Greenlees said she had a cut on her head and injuries to her shoulders, ribs and knees.
Ms McCoy suffered multiple injuries and Ms Ashcroft a broken bone in her neck, a 12cm gash to her forehead, torn muscles and ligaments and other lacerations,
She was thrown into the front of the car by the force of the impact, the court heard.
