A bus driver has told a court how he struggled to avoid a crash in which three people died on a major north-east road.
Michael Murray was driving the double-decker bus when it collided with a red Renault Megane on the A90 Aberdeen to Dundee road at its turn-off to Drumlithie.
It is alleged that 35-year-old Marin Rachev caused the collision by pulling out of the junction in the car and into the path of the bus on March 12 last year.
The collision caused two of his passengers to be thrown on to the road, where they were struck by another oncoming vehicle.
Yesterday depute advocate Murdoch MacTaggart questioned Mr Murray about footage from the cameras on board his vehicle on the first day of the trial at the High Court in Aberdeen.
He discussed several clips showing the bus crashing into the rear of the car which was making its way towards the central reservation.
The jury of 10 women and five men were told that those killed in the crash – Dimitar Georgiev, Zaharina Hristova and Silyan Stefanov – were all back-seat passengers in the car and none had been wearing seatbelts.
Mr Murray told the court: “I saw a face from the back window and I closed my eyes because the impact was unavoidable.
“I tried to get the coach to come to a complete stop.
“The bottom of the bus had pushed up towards the brake pedal and accelerator – it wouldn’t let me brake.”
Mr Murray said he had not been seriously hurt in the incident but was left with minor cuts and the “memories” of the incident.
He initially returned to work, carrying out non-driving duties, before taking further time off.
Defence solicitor Frances Connor suggested that Mr Murray had been speeding in order to make up time, having left Glasgow for Aberdeen nine minutes later than scheduled.
She asked if he could have done more to prevent the collision from happening.
But he replied that it was unavoidable, adding: “If I swerved I would have caused fatalities from the bus.
“It happened that fast, to be honest, and with the speed I was going at as well.”
Rachev, of Sandilands Drive, Aberdeen, denies the death by dangerous driving charge.
The trial, before Lord Kinclaven, continues.
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