A 17-year-old driver laughed in the face of his friend who told him to slow down moments before he crashed and flipped his speeding car into a field.
Aidan Zimmerman, now 20, caused serious injuries to his friends when his Vauxhall Corsa skidded on loose chippings, struck a verge and left the road.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how Zimmerman gunned the engine to 80mph even as speed restrictions were in place on the A944 due to a road resurfacing.
Banning him from the roads for two years, Sheriff Philip Mann told Zimmerman he should consider himself lucky that the consequences were not “far more serious”.
Reached speeds of 80mph
Fiscal depute David Rogers told the court that on the evening of June 4 2022, Zimmerman and his friends had been approached by residents outside Alford Community Campus who “expressed unhappiness with the driving practices of those within the car park”.
As a result, Zimmerman decided to drive to Aberdeen to get some food with four passengers in the car.
Soon after exiting a petrol station in Alford, Zimmerman immediately increased the speed of his vehicle to more than 70mph.
One of his passengers saw that Zimmerman was driving far too close to other cars and was swerving out to suggest he was going to attempt to overtake when the manoeuvre was not possible.
Zimmerman thereafter increased his speed to 80mph in fourth gear causing the engine to rev loudly.
A short time later, Zimmerman’s passengers saw signs indicating that drivers should restrict their speed due to road surfacing works.
One passenger told Zimmerman to slow down and to be careful on the loose road chippings as they could make the road slippery.
Passenger ‘could not believe’ accused’s driving
At this point, Zimmerman took his eyes off the road and turned to laugh at his friend, while driving with only one hand on the steering wheel.
It was stated that the front seat passenger of the Corsa “could not believe” Zimmerman’s driving behaviour as he continued to drive at high speed and made no attempt to slow down.
Zimmerman’s car then made contact with the loose road chippings on the resurfaced road and he immediately started to lose control.
As Zimmerman braked sharply, the car began to swerve over to the other side of the carriageway where it struck a grass verge and flipped into the air.
A passing motorist described the car “bouncing” as it rolled several times in the field.
When the police arrived, Zimmerman identified himself as the driver of the car.
One passenger sustained a broken bone in his back and two broken bones in his neck, while another suffered injuries to his chest and lungs.
All have now made a full recovery.
In the dock, Zimmerman pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving.
Crash could have had ‘far more serious consequences’
Defence solicitor Liam Mcallister highlighted to the court that his client was only 17 at the time of the incident and has subsequently “recognised the error of his ways”.
“It is fair to say that Mr Zimmerman will suffer the emotional impact of this for the rest of his life – there has been nothing but genuine remorse conveyed by him,” the solicitor said.
“This has had a profound impact on him, and he recognises how fortunate he is that this isn’t even more serious.
“He knows he requires to be punished.”
Sheriff Philip Mann told Zimmerman: “I’m sure I do not have to tell you that this is a shocking piece of driving that could have resulted in far more serious consequences than what happened.
“You are lucky that your passengers, though injured, made a full recovery.”
He pointed out that a period in prison would be considered appropriate for this offence, but that he was required to take account of Zimmerman’s young age.
Sheriff Mann made Zimmerman, of Montgarrie, Alford, subject to a community payback order with supervision for 18 months and ordered him to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work.
He also banned Zimmerman from driving for two years and ordered that he will have to re-sit his driving test.
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