Lorry driver on trial accused of causing death of Aberdeen great-grandmother

A lorry driver has gone on trial accused of causing the death of an Aberdeen great-grandmother by driving carelessly.

Gerald Clark appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday following the incident on King Street on September 10 last year.

The 65-year-old is said to have blocked a pedestrian crossing near the St Machar roundabout with his lorry and failed to notice its traffic lights had turned red.

He is accused of failing to check his mirrors before setting off again, driving through the crossing and hitting Mary Allan, 83, who was injured so severely she died.

The court was shown camera footage from different angles, including dash-cam video from the cab of the lorry and CCTV from a bakery.

Roads officer Jeffrey Smart said one of the videos showed Mrs Allan pressing the button to trigger the traffic lights at the pedestrian crossing.

Describing footage of the incident from one of the angles, he said: “She is trying to run away from the front of the lorry. It strikes me that Mrs Allan has stepped out in front of the near-side before the lorry has moved off. I suspect she realised it was driving towards her and she was trying to avoid it.”

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When questioned by defence solicitor Chris Fyffe, the officer said he spoke to Clark in the back of an ambulance following the incident.

He said Clark identified himself as the HGV driver and noted he was in a “fairly distressed” state.

Depute fiscal Iain Gray also questioned Ian Gainford, the assistant chief driving examiner at the DVSA.

Using photographs of the lorry that Clark had been driving, he explained the positioning of its mirrors and their purpose.

He also read from several DVSA documents that he had a hand in creating, outlining best practice for those operating “vocational vehicles” such as buses, coaches and HGVs.

Clark, of Taits Lane in Dundee, denies the charge.

The trial continues.