The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘Combined failures’ led to biker being killed by road roller
Driver was unqualified and road crew failed to use signs and radios
A road roller driver who killed a biker in a crash has been allowed to walk free from court, while the company which set up the fatally flawed roadworks has been fined £40,000.
Andrew Campbell was not qualified to operate the roller, which weighs more than a tonne, when he backed it on to the road and into the path of motorcyclist Ian Bullions, 61.
The team operating the stretch of contraflow in Glenshee failed to use safety equipment which meant a split second error led to the fatal crash.
Perth Sheriff Court was told Campbell reversed less than three metres on to the road – taking around one second – but he had not spotted Mr Bullions on his Harley Davidson.
He was killed as he and a friend returned from the Thunder In The Glen motorbike event in Aviemore.
Despite having a top speed of less than eight miles per hour, Mr Bullions was unable to avoid hitting the roller.
Campbell admitted causing the death of Mr Bullions by driving carelessly and failing to ensure the road was clear when he reversed on and fatally struck the biker.
The 37-year-old, who had previous convictions for speeding and careless driving, was banned from driving for 30 months and ordered to resit the extended driving test. He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work.
Contractors Goodfellow Environmental Maintenance Ltd admitted failing to maintain safe traffic arrangements which led to the road roller colliding with Mr Bullions and causing fatal injuries.
The accident happened on the A93 Braemar to Blairgowrie road, near the Glenshee Ski Centre in Perthshire, on August 25 2014, when Mr Bullions was touring Scotland.
The court was told Goodfellow Environmental had been told by Perth and Kinross Council to operate two Stop/Go signs on the 89m (291ft) stretch of roadworks – with one at either end of the partially closed carriageway.
Workmen operated a single sign and Campbell mistakenly thought the road was clear when he backed on to it. They also left walkie-talkies they should have used in a van.
The court was told the company should have closed the road completely while the road roller was working on it and the whole operation would have taken just 20 minutes.
Senior fiscal depute Gavin Callaghan said: “Mr Bullions was 61 and a British national, resident in Thailand. He was in the UK on holiday.
“His handlebar and left leg collided with the road roller, which had entered the open lane. Mr Bullions was thrown and collided with a road sign and verge.
“The force knocked the sign over and he came to rest in a ditch five metres away.”
Solicitor Sarah Meehan, defending Campbell, said her client had been driving a road roller for five years but had never gained the appropriate qualification to do so.
She said: “Mr Campbell accepts the tragic events are a result of combined failures. Stop/Go boards were not used properly. Regrettably, the radios provided were also not used.”
She said Campbell feared if he protested about the way the roadworks were being policed by the main contractor, he would be sacked. The company denied that would have happened.
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis told the ex-soldier and father-of-two: “It is inevitable that a vehicle coming into contact with a road roller is going to come off second best.”
Stop/Go boards were not used properly. Regrettably, the radios provided were also not used