Guilty, HGV driver who killed worker by reversing over him on motorway
AN HGV driver yesterday admitted causing the death of a road worker by reversing over him at a motorway works site.
Alexander Johnstone struck Ryan McNally, 33, on the M8 near Glasgow Airport.
Johnstone, 52, had ignored guidelines on using certain entrances and was waiting for a colleague to direct him into position to deliver 20 tons of asphalt. He reversed for about 135 yards, backing his Scania tipping lorry into position.
But he did not see Mr McNally and reversed over him as he walked backwards.
The details emerged yesterday when Johnstone appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court to admit his guilt over the death of Mr McNally, from Stirling.
Procurator fiscal depute Selena Brown said the fatal collision happened on March 3, 2014.
Mr McNally was part of a team resurfacing the road at the White Cart Viaduct.
Diversions were set up to take traffic through Paisley each night between March 1 and March 9, as the roads were relaid on behalf of Scotland TranServ – the operating company responsible for the management and maintenance of the trunk road network in South-West Scotland.
The prosecutor, who specialises in health and safety cases, told the court that Mr McNally ‘was left to work on his own’ and ‘always walked backwards’ when doing his particumanoeuvre.
‘Saw the vehicle strike him’
lar job as it was easier for him. She added: ‘The [road resurfacing] team were parked on the hard shoulder. A truck arrived being driven by Alexander Johnstone.
‘There was no room as there was a works van on the hard shoulder. He stayed for two or three minutes and then reversed into the live traffic lane and entered the site via the works access entrance.
‘Two vehicles travelling in lane three noted a white tipper truck reversing and also witnessed the presence of Ryan McNally with his back to the vehicle.
‘They saw the vehicle strike Mr McNally and continue the reversing The resulting injuries due to the road traffic incident were entirely consistent with Mr McNally being run over by a large, heavy vehicle.’
Barry Smith, defending, said: ‘Mr Johnstone is most anxious I should formally record, in this court, his sincere remorse and regret this accident happened and had such tragic consequences.’
He asked Sheriff James Spy to deal with the case by way of a fine, saying Johnstone, of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, accepted it would have to be a substantial one. He said Johnstone would be able to pay the fine as he is still employed by JC Bell Haulage, the firm he was driving for at the time of the incident, and is ‘a valued and trusted employee’.
But Sheriff Spy called for background reports from social workers ahead of sentencing and adjourned the case until next month.
As he did so, he said: ‘I’m not ruling out the imposition of a substantial fine at this stage. I simply wish to explore all other possibilities, all other avenues, at this point.’