Police driver 'not to blame' for three-car crash in Kirkcaldy

A police car was responding to a 999 call when the crash happened.

A police driver was not to blame for a crash with two other cars in Fife, an investigation by the police watchdog has found.

Four people were taken to hospital following the collision which happened while officers were answering a 999 call in Kirkcaldy on 8 March.

An 87-year-old man was seriously injured in the Oriel Road crash.

The police driver and the driver of another car, an Audi, sustained minor injuries.

The police car was responding to a report of a stolen vehicle being driven dangerously in the Falkirk area and had its blue lights and siren on.

Police closed the road at the scene of the crash

Earlier in the day, the stolen vehicle had hit a member of the public, seriously injuring them.

An investigation report, by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc), found that as the marked police vehicle drove towards the junction with Strathallan Drive, a Kia driven by the 87-year-old man pulled out from the junction into its path.

The report said there was not enough time for the police driver to take evasive action and the two vehicles collided, causing the Kia to then collide with the Audi.

The elderly man was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee for treatment following the incident.

The investigation report found that the officer driving the car was a trained police advanced driver and was not at fault for the collision.

A man was later reported by police to the procurator fiscal in relation to the collision but no action was taken. Police Scotland referred the incident to Pirc.