Accident means he cannot return to job he loves
Tragic Harlow’s legacy will help grieving parents
A MINISTER left with devastating injuries after a speeder smashed into his car has told how his faith helped him forgive the driver who almost killed him.
The Reverend Colin Dempster, 65, was put on life support following the accident last year – as doctors warned his family he might not survive his brain injuries.
But despite having to learn to walk and feed himself again, he said: “I forgive him because I’m a Christian. I’ve been told by the Lord to forgive others and so I do.”
Self-employed builder William McEwan, 35, was banned from driving for 30 months and fined £2500 earlier this week after he admitted causing the head-on collision.
He was trying to overtake on a blind bend on the wrong side of the road when he crashed his two-tonne Land Rover Discovery into the minister’s car on the A92 between Aberdeen and Montrose.
Rev Dempster, a Church of Scotland minister at Tayport Parish for two decades and more recently at Mearns Coastal Parish, said his injuries were so traumatic he still has no memory of his stay in hospital.
“My family were called as I wasn’t expected to survive the brain injuries, and they stayed night and day for almost two weeks,” he said. THE heartbroken family of a little girl killed by a car which mounted a pavement are keeping her legacy alive – by helping other grieving parents.
Tw o - y e a r - o l d Harlow Edwardswasknockeddown by a speeding driver just yards from her home in CouparAnguslastyear.
But since that horrific day, Harlow’s parents have helped
“Thankfully, in answer to prayer, I survived and spent a further six weeks in hospital having intensive rehabilitation.
“My life will never be the same again as a result of the accident and I live with the consequences every day.
“Only recently I had surgery on my broken arm which wouldn’t heal, so it now has a metal plate. I have been unable to return to work and do a job I loved to do. I had planned on working until at least the age of 70 but that choice has now been taken from me. I am now unable to do many of the simplest tasks I could do before. 10 other families cope with tragedy through a charity they set up in their daughter’s name.
Harlow’s Helping Hand helps parents shoulder the financial burden when children die unexpectedly.
And now Harlow’s mum Sara and dad Steven have opened a shop in Coupar Angus to help raise funds.
Sara, 37, said: “When we
“My life will never be the same again as a result of the accident and I live with the consequences every day.
“I have been unable to return to work and do a job I loved to do. I am now unable to do many of the simplest tasks I could do before.
“Although disappointed that Mr McEwan has never said actually said sorry to me, I have forgiven him and bear him no ill will.”
But the minister said he felt “dismay” at the builder’s lenient sentence, adding that he himself had been off the road for 18 months now “through no fault of my own”.
And Rev Dempster – who once appeared on a BBC comedy show called Some Vicars With Jokes – said he hoped his story would show “those tempted to speed how they can ruin someone’s life even if they don’t kill them”, as well as the deadly effect of powerful cars.
McEwan, of Coylton, South Ayrshire, was initially charged with driving dangerously last year, but the Crown accepted his guilty plea to a reduced charge of causing serious injury by careless driving.
He admitted driving at excessive speed and crossing into the opposing carriageway in the face of oncoming traffic.
McEwan also admitted trying to overtake another vehicle on a blind bend and crashing on the wrong side of the road.
He refused to comment when The Sunday Post called at his home. buried Harlow, we saw there were a lot of wee ones who didn’t have proper headstones..
“Wegotsuchalotofhelp and support but not everybody gets that. So we wanted to set something up that would be there when people needed it.
“There’s things that need paid straight away, such as flowers.”
Harlow’s Helping Hand can helpparentswithupto£500 towards the cost of their child’s funeral – and has so far assisted nine Scottish families as well as one from England.
Sara said launching the charity had helped the family with their grief.
Luke Pirie, 23, pled guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. He will be sentenced later this month.