AN elderly motorist who ran over a female pedestrian while looking for a space in a Dingwall town centre car park was heard saying: “I’ve killed her, it’s my fault” at the scene of the fatal accident.
Details of the tragedy, which took the life of popular Portmahomack mother-of-two Jean Bridgeford, were heard in Dingwall Sheriff Court when 77-year-old Paula Grant was fined £1,000 and banned from driving for four years for causing death by careless driving.
Mrs Bridgeford died from her injuries at the scene in the Cromartie Car Park after she became trapped underneath Grant’s Land Rover Freelander on August 1 last year.
The court heard that Mrs Bridgeford had left her work at the local library at lunchtime with the intention of going shopping at a nearby Tesco supermarket.
“It was while she was walking to her own car she was struck by Grant’s Land Rover Freelander,” said depute fiscal Stewart Maciver. He said Grant was driving at an appropriate speed and in the proper direction but failed to notice the presence of Mrs Bridgeford in front of her.
He said that a witness saw Mrs Bridgeford fall to her knees on impact. “But the vehicle moved further forward trapping her under it,” said Mr Maciver.
The witness said she saw Grant get out of the Land Rover and attempt to dial 999 on her mobile phone. The fiscal said Grant was heard to say: “I’ve killed her. It’s my fault.”
Grant, of Mount Gerald House, Old Evanton Road, Dingwall, had earlier pleaded guilty to causing the death of Mrs Bridgeford, of Petley Farm, by driving without due care and attention, failing to keep a proper lookout and failing to pay attention to the road ahead and the presence of pedestrians, causing her vehicle to collide with the pedestrian, knocking her to the ground and trapping her underneath it.
Solicitor David Hingston said he could not explain why neither Mrs Bridgeford nor Mrs Grant saw each other. “It’s devastating for everyone. There are no winners in this case, just losers,” he said.
Sheriff Halley said it was a “sensitive and tragic case” but Grant had accepted responsibility for the offence and he had to take into account her personal circumstances and the impact on Mrs Bridgeford’s family.
For full story see this week's Ross-shire Journal.
