Girl racer in BMW killed mum of one
Horror crash driver may face jail over tragedy
A YOUNG woman has admitted that her driving too fast on an island road led to the death of a mother-of-one.
Karin Prior, an NHS occupational health therapist, died in the hospital where she worked on Stornoway after the devastating crash.
At Stornoway Sheriff Court yesterday, Caroline Mackay pleaded guilty to driving at excessive speed for the nature and condition of the road, which caused her vehicle to go out of control and collide with another car.
The 22-year-old hit the Mini in which Miss Prior was a passenger.
The children’s occupational therapist – and mother of Bethany, then 12 – suffered serious injuries in the collision at Newmarket, about two miles outside Stornoway, on Monday, August 20, 2012.
She was taken to Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway but died that evening. Her colleague Philip Rogers was also hurt in the crash.
Mackay, of Moorfield, Newmarket, Lewis, previously denied the charge and a jury trial was due to start in two weeks. Yesterday, she changed her plea to guilty.
Sheriff David Sutherland called f or background r eports and deferred sentence for six weeks. Miss Prior, 51, from Gallan Beag, Aird, Uig, on the west coast of Lewis, received a severe head injury after Miss Mackay’s BMW collided with the Mini.
Both Miss Prior and the Mini’s driver, Mr Rogers, 31, were trapped inside the mangled wreckage for about half an hour, while two Stornoway fire crews used cutting equipment to remove its roof.
The injured pair were treated by ambulance staff at the scene before being taken to hospital.
Miss Prior was set to be transferred by air ambulance f or specialist treatment on the mainland but died before it could arrive.
Mr Rogers, who had been trapped by his legs in the vehicle, was later airlifted to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness for urgent medical attention.
It is understood Miss Mackay sustained a broken arm in the crash.
The main Stornoway to Barvas road was blocked for 24 hours until a specialist police traffic collision team examined the scene.
Miss Prior, who was brought up in the small community of Lively by Sudbury in Ontario, Canada, was buried in Ardroil Cemetery in Uig following a service at the local community centre.
She graduated from Ontario’s Western University in 1985 with a degree in occupational therapy before relocating to London.
She and her former partner Brian Hindson later moved to Lewis and had a daughter, Bethany.
Miss Prior’s parents, Thomas and Marion, and other family members are understood to have flown from Canada to Lewis for the funeral.
At the time, a family spokesman said: ‘Karin inspired so many with her skills, enthusiasm, creativity and generosity.
‘We will miss her adventurous and loving spirit.’
The family said Miss Prior enjoyed her home, friends and the sheep on Lewis, where she l i ved with Bethany.
In addition to calling for reports, Sheriff David Sutherland imposed an interim disqualification to ban Mackay from driving until she is sentenced.
It is possible she could face jail for the offence.