A lorry driver accused of failing to stop to provide his details after his cab struck a pedestrian has told a court he did not realise he had been in a collision.
Gary Wilson was delivering goods in his lorry to Aldi stores across the country when his articulated truck struck Oskars Zenka on the A96 Aberdeen-Inverness road, near Kintore.
Emergency services arrived shortly after the incident on January 23 last year, but Mr Zenka, from Inverurie, died at the scene.
On Friday, Wilson went on trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in connection with the incident.
Prosecutors allege his vehicle struck Mr Zenka near the B987 Tavelty junction, leaving the 27-year-old with fatal injuries.
They allege he then “failed to stop and give his name and address” and “the name of the owner and the identification marks of the vehicle” to the police.
Wilson, of 5 Wemyss Street, Rosyth, Fife, has not been charged with leaving the scene of a crash or causing Mr Zenka’s death.
The 38-year-old denies the charge against him.
Yesterday, giving evidence on his own behalf, Wilson said he was not aware he had struck anything at the time of the collision.
He said he did not feel or hear Mr Zenka hitting his cab and was only aware he had collided with something when he noticed one of his headlights were out.
Wilson told the court that, at the time, he believed he must have struck an animal like a deer. He said he never thought he could have knocked over a pedestrian, given the weather conditions and time of night.
The court also heard evidence from a police officer who claimed Wilson had admitted to being involved in the collision with Mr Zenka.
He said Wilson made the comments to him when he was stopped on his way to Ellon a few minutes after the crash.
However when asked about this in evidence Wilson said the conversation had never taken place and that the police officer had been lying.
The trial, before Sheriff David Hall, will resume next month.
