A man crashed and flipped his car into a field in Macduff – after being distracted by a dog.
William Lindsay had been giving a woman, and her pet dog, a lift to the shop when the incident happened on the A98 at Burnside, Macduff.
But when the large animal became “agitated”, the 43-year-old got distracted, drifting onto the wrong side of the road and then overcorrecting and hitting an embankment.
The vehicle then flipped upside down and landed on its roof in afield, seriously injuring both driver and passenger.
Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the incident happened around 1pm on August 21 2021.
As the pair drove towards Fraserburgh, with the woman in the front passenger seat, Lindsay overtook a witness who estimated he was driving at around 60mph.
Following the overtake, the witness noted Lindsay continued to accelerate and formed the opinion he was travelling in excess of the speed limit.
Another witness travelling in the opposite direction saw Lindsay on the wrong side of the road still going at excessive speed.
Lindsay took cocaine for ‘first time ever’ day before crash
Lindsay then moved to the middle of the road, straddling both lanes and the witness had to take evasive action and braked sharply to avoid a head-on collision.
At the same time, Lindsay also began to brake and pulled back onto the correct side of the carriageway.
As he did so, he hit a roadside bank and lost control of the vehicle, leaving the road completely and landing upside down in a field.
Both Lindsay and his passenger were treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to hospital.
After taking a preliminary drugs wipe, Lindsay tested positive for cocaine.
On being asked to provide a blood sample for a more formal test, he refused and stated: “It’s been a long day.”
His female passenger suffered bruising to her body and abdominal pain and tenderness.
Nerve damage to her arm has had a lasting impact and restricted her grip.
The crash also had a psychological impact on her, causing panic attacks.
She was unable to get back into a car for six months following the incident and still struggles to travel in cars.
‘It was incumbent on you to make sure any animal was restrained’
Meanwhile Lindsay suffered fractures to his vertebrae and a minor head injury.
Lindsay, of James Street, Buckie, pled guilty to dangerous driving and failing to provide a blood sample for a drugs test.
Defence agent Alex Burn told the court Lindsay’s passenger had a large Cane Corso dog, which he described as a breed often used for fighting and owned by drug dealers.
He continued: “She asked Mr Lindsay to take her and her dog to get some dog food.
“The dog was not restrained and became agitated, she was trying to calm the dog down and he’s distracted and the vehicle goes off the road.”
Mr Burn said Lindsay’s position in relation to the drug aspect is he’d taken cocaine “for the first time ever” the previous day.
He added Lindsay was “apologetic” and had taken full responsibility.
Sheriff Andrew Miller told Lindsay: “This is clearly a very serious incident and it’s fortunate that even more serious consequences didn’t result for you or your passenger or any other drivers.
“It’s noted your position that you lost control of the vehicle when a dog within the vehicle was out of control.
“Clearly it was incumbent on you as the driver to make sure any animal within the vehicle was safely restrained.”
The sheriff, as a direct alternative to prison, ordered Lindsay to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and be supervised for a year.
He also banned him from driving for 27 months.
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