A north-east lorry driver who knocked down a pensioner – leaving her so badly injured she had to have her leg amputated – has kept his licence.
David Clark was not paying proper attention when he pulled out of a junction in Aberdeen city centre last year and hit 68-year-old Christine Grant with his lorry.
He then proceeded to drive over the top of Mrs Grant’s body, before coming to a stop in middle of the road between Rosemount Viaduct and Skene Street.
Mrs Grant, who had walked out in front of Clark’s vehicle while the traffic lights were on green, was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary with “serious injuries”.
And as a result of the collision doctors had to eventually amputate her left leg.
Yesterday Clark appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court charged with causing serious injury to Mrs Grant by driving dangerously on May 7 last year.
However, the Crown accepted his guilty plea to a lesser charge of careless driving.
The court heard the traffic at the junction had been particularly busy that morning.
As Clark sat in his vehicle waiting to turn left he had to give way to both traffic and pedestrians who had crossed in front of him, despite him having the right of way.
The 46-year-old accepted that as a result, he did not pay close enough attention to where Mrs Grant was and did not see her as she crossed in front of him.
Fiscal depute Lynzi Souter said that Mrs Grant told police after the accident that she had not been able to see the lights at the pedestrian crossing before she walked out in front of the vehicle.
The court heard the “green man” had not been displayed until 10 seconds after the collision had actually taken place.
Sheriff Margaret Hodge was told the father-of-one had been deeply affected by the incident and showed great remorse for what had happened.
She took account of the fact he was the main breadwinner for his family, and accepted Mrs Grant was also partly to blame for the incident for walking out in front of him when it was not safe to do so.
She fined Clark, of 83 Byron Crescent, Aberdeen, £750 and put six penalty points on his licence.