An RAF Lossiemouth air traffic controller will stand trial after allegedly causing a horrific car crash which left himself and another motorist seriously injured.
Ryan Adamson, 25, denies a charge of driving dangerously on the A941 road between Lossiemouth and Elgin in 2015.
His silver Vauxhall Signum came into collision with a red Nissan Juke belonging to mum-of-two Katharine McLoughlin.
The accused, whose address was given as Ross House at RAF Lossiemouth, had to be freed from his vehicle by firefighters after suffering two collapsed lungs.
Mrs McLoughlin had her stomach muscles “torn in half” by the crash and needed to have part of her bowel surgically removed.
The collision took place north of Spynie Palace at 1.35pm on Wednesday, August 26, 2015.
Indictment papers allege that Adamson “caused serious injury to Katharine McLoughlin by driving dangerously”.
Prosecutors assert the serviceman failed to pay proper attention to the layout of the road, failed to adjust his speed appropriately for the layout of the road and the weather conditions, and crossed over into the opposing carriageway.
The charge states he “failed to take action” to avoid the collision, which damaged both vehicles and also injured a dog which was a passenger in the complainer’s car.
It is further alleged that Adamson caused Chloe Kruez, who was driving a Ford Fiesta behind Mrs McLoughlin’s car, to take evasive action to avoid colliding with the rear of her vehicle.
Adamson’s trial will begin on Monday, July 31, at Elgin Sheriff Court.
Speaking after the crash, Mrs McLoughlin’s mother described the incident as “a terrible shock for the family”.
Rosalyn Wie said: “Immediately after the accident, Katharine was taken to Dr Gray’s where she had an emergency operation to remove part of her bowel to stop internal bleeding.”
She was then taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where a plastic surgeon had to reconstruct her stomach muscles – which had been torn in half.”
Mrs Wie added that her daughter’s dog, a one-year-old lhasa apso named Mollie, suffered a dislocated shoulder and bruising in the collision.
Adamson’s mother, Jayne McDonald, said: “It really was 50-50, we didn’t know if Ryan was going to pull through.
“He is normally quite a healthy guy, with a good build, and doctors think that helped spare him from more serious harm.”