Fife couple’s anger as motorist who caused collision avoids jail

COURT: Driver given suspended 12-month sentence after head-on crash

A Fife couple have told of their anger after a Perthshire motorist who caused them serious injuries by hitting their car head-on avoided jail.

Daniel Carmichael’s Volkswagen van drifted into the southbound carriageway of the A1, smashing into the vehicle driven by John Stark.

Mr Stark, who was travelling to Yorkshire from Glenrothes with his wife, was airlifted more than 50 miles from the scene, near Wooler, to hospital in Newcastle with a broken leg and pelvis.

In the immediate aftermath of the crash his wife Marjorie, who suffered injuries to her leg, feared he was dead and their car would catch fire.

Yesterday Newcastle Crown Court heard Carmichael had admitted falling asleep at the wheel.

Prosecutor Neil Pallister said several witnesses had seen Carmichael’s van drift into the path of Mr Stark and he had made no attempt to swerve or brake to avoid the collision.

Firefighters had to cut the roof from Mr Stark’s vehicle in order to free him and he was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary where he underwent an eighthour operation to put a pin in his leg He was transferred to the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy on September 11 and faces further surgery to replace the pins.

Carmichael was given a 12-month custodial sentence, suspended for 18 months. He was ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.

The 36-year-old was also banned from driving for three years and ordered to sit the extended driving test.

Mr Stark said the sentence was not harsh enough and did not reflect the impact the crash had on the couple’s lives, including causing him to miss the first birthday of his only grandchild. “He got off really lightly,” he said. “He doesn’t know how close he came to killing us.

“His lawyer said he had wanted to meet with us but he had the chance to speak to my wife at the scene but he sat uninjured in his vehicle instead.”

Christopher Morrison, defence agent, extended an apology from Carmichael to Mr and Mrs Stark.

He said: “Mr Carmichael wishes to say he’s sorry. He bitterly regrets the incident. He wants them to know that if he could turn back time to before that day, he would.”

Carmichael, of Ashgrove Terrace, Blairgowrie, had previously admitted to causing serious injury by dangerous driving on the A1, near Wooler, on August 30 last year.

“He got off really lightly. He doesn’t know how close he came to killing us.

JOHN STARK