A Moray mum was “lucky” not to have caused the death of her daughter and herself after crashing into a driveway wall.
Margaret McConachie, from Cullen, was airlifted to hospital in Aberdeen with potentially fatal injuries after the smash on the A98 Buckie to Fochabers road near Portgordon.
Yesterday the 57-year-old pleaded guilty by letter at Elgin Sheriff Court to a charge of driving without due care and attention at the time of the incident on October 4 last year.
Fiscal Sharon Ralph explained that McConachie was travelling east towards Buckie shortly before 5pm on the day in question.
Other drivers following her on the road described the motorist’s red Suzuki SX4 drifting to the left before “clipping” the verge and hitting the wall near the junction with the A990 Portgordon road.
Mrs Ralph said: “The collision caused the vehicle to spin round, coming to rest in the eastbound carriageway.
“Significant frontal damage was caused to the vehicle. Speed was not an issue, the vehicle was driving to the speed limit.
“Various persons stopped to assist. Initially both the accused and her daughter were unresponsive but they came round a few minutes later and began to panic.
“The accused was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary by air ambulance because of the seriousness of her injuries.”
Police closed the A98 in both directions at Arradoul due to the seriousness of the incident, which also required two fire crews to be called to the scene. No other vehicles were involved.
McConachie’s injuries, which were described as “life-threatening” at the time, included seven fractured ribs and a cut spleen.
Her daughter Claire, 29, who was a front seat passenger in the car, also required surgery after being transferred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after initially being taken to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin with injuries including fractures on both hands.
The court heard that both women, who were described as “lucky to be alive” by Mrs Ralph, had now made a full recovery.
Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov accepted the accident had been caused by a “momentary lapse in attention” from the driver.
McConachie, of Logie Avenue in Cullen, was given four penalty points on her licence and was otherwise admonished.
Sheriff Pasportnikov decided against imposing any further punishment due to the seriousness of the injuries sustained by the accused and her daughter.
