Speeding driver admits causing death of pedestrian
- Published
John Paul Smith has pled guilty to crashing into a pedestrian in November 2020
A speeding driver who was on a hands-free call when he hit a pedestrian has admitted causing his death.
John Paul Smith, 42, was driving his Mercedes C220 when he struck Christopher Devine near Duntocher, West Dunbartonshire.
The 34-year-old suffered fatal injuries in the crash on 23 November 2020.
At the High Court in Glasgow, Smith admitted causing death by careless driving. He will be sentenced in the new year.
The court heard that Mr Devine had been walking from a friend's house towards the A82, Great Western Road, at about 17:00. It was a dark, wet evening.
He initially crossed two lanes and narrowly avoided being hit by one vehicle, before continuing to cross and being struck by Smith.
The driver was engaged on a hands-free Bluetooth call with an insurance company at the time of the crash.
The court heard Smith's passenger had spotted Mr Devine trying to cross and attempted to alert the driver, but was unable to do so in time.
Members of the public, including an off-duty police officer, stopped to help Mr Devine but he had suffered a fatal head injury.
Smith was found to have more than 10 times the prescribed limit of a drug called Benzoylecgonine - a metabolite from cocaine usage - following a blood test.
A judge was told it was accepted this "played no part" in the collision.
Police collision investigators found that Smith had been travelling at an average speed of 71mph in a 50mph zone.
He has previous convictions for careless driving and speeding.
Lord Mulholland continued bail for Smith and deferred sentencing for reports.