Doctor ‘saved life of biker’ after causing road accident

A RETIRED doctor knocked a motorcyclist off his bike – then gave him CPR which may have saved his life.

Robert Allen, 76, pulled out in front of the BMW motorbike of George Stark, who was out on a ride with friends.

Mr Stark was thrown into the air on impact and landed on the road on the other side of Dr Allen’s Volkswagen Golf, suffering serious injuries.

The former medic was found guilty of careless driving on the A93 near Scone, Perthshire, last summer but was allowed to keep his licence.

Solicitor Ann Boyd said: ‘ Following the incident Dr Allen gave CPR for a significant amount of time, without which Mr Stark may have lost his life.’

She added: ‘He holds a clean licence and has done for a number of years.

‘If you consider driving as a spectrum with careless driving at one end up to dangerous driving this is at the lower end of careless.’

Dr Allen had denied careless driving, telling Perth sheriff court the road was clear when he pulled out of a side road. But the crash was caught on another biker’s GoPro camera and the court heard the car was only halfway through the manoeuvre at the point of impact.

Mr Stark – out with friends from the Edinburgh area – was wearing highvisibility clothing and a white helmet, while his bike was fitted with a bright LED headlamp.

Imposing a £400 fine and four penalty points on Dr Allen’s licence, Sheriff James MacDonald said he could only deal with the driving, not the consequences. He said: ‘I’m dealing with an error of judgment. When you looked out on the road you didn’t see one vehicle. But for that, a collision wouldn’t have taken place.’

Dr Allen, of Hartford in Cambridgeshire, was convicted of careless driving by failing to keep a proper look out and pulling into the path of Mr Stark’s motorbike on August 25 last year.