A US national whose dangerous driving caused a crash on the A96 has been banned from the roads.
Rebecca Darden had consumed a glass of wine before she pulled into the path of an oncoming car near Auldearn.
The resulting smash left the driver and passenger of the other vehicle seriously injured, Inverness Sheriff Court heard.
Darden, 56, appeared before Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald to admit a single charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving while under the influence of alcohol.
Fiscal depute Alison Young told the court the incident happened just before 4.30pm on April 29 of last year.
Darden’s Mercedes A class was spotted at the junction of the A96 and the B9111 – east of Nairn.
Dangerous driver ‘pulled into path’ of car on A96
Witnesses reported seeing the vehicle “pull out into the path” of an oncoming car – driven by a 64-year-old man, said Mrs Young.
His 65-year-old wife was in the passenger seat.
The resulting collision – captured on dashcam – caused the oncoming car to “spin” before coming to rest in the road.
Darden’s vehicle also ended up stationary in the carriageway.
Emergency services attended and a roadside breath test on Darden came back positive.
The driver admitted to officers she “had a glass of wine at lunch”, Mrs Young told the court.
However, when she was taken to hospital “some time later” a blood test found her alcohol level to be below the legal drink-drive limit.
Darden herself suffered a fractured breastbone and superficial cuts.
‘Crash has put victim off driving’
The driver of the other vehicle required surgery to insert plates into his arm, which left him with a 12-inch scar.
He also suffered a fracture to the small of his back.
His passenger suffered a fractured wrist and breastbone.
“The accident has put her off driving,” Mrs Young said.
Defence agent Shahid Latif, for Darden, said his client was an American national who is applying for UK citizenship.
He said she had been using her US licence and “had been driving in this country for about six to seven months”.
Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald called for pre-sentence reports and adjourned the case to the end of next month.
She banned Durden, whose address was given as an unclassified road near Forres, from the roads with immediate effect.
The sheriff will determine the length of disqualification at sentencing.
