Wrong-side-of-road driver jailed for causing fatal Highland crash

Garry Tierney had been driving an articulated lorry

A lorry driver who killed a man and seriously injured his wife in a crash after driving on the wrong side of the road has been jailed for four years.

Garry Tierney, 48, crashed head on into a car driven by 86-year-old Matthew Donnell on the A939 at Dava Moor, near Grantown-on-Spey, in October 2020.

Edith Donnell, 81, suffered multiple injuries in the incident.

Tierney, of Dumbarton, admitted a charge of dangerous driving at the High Court in Glasgow in August.

A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh said Tierney would have faced a six-year jail term if he had not pleaded guilty.

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Tierney had been driving an articulated lorry south with a tanker of yeast while the Donnells, of Grantown-on-Spey, were in a Peugeot 208 heading north.

A couple who arrived at the scene after the crash saw that Tierney's lorry had jack-knifed and the Donnells' wrecked car was down an embankment.

Other drivers stopped to help the couple and a 999 call was made.

Mrs Donnell was freed from the car and taken to hospital. Her husband, who was her main carer due to her dementia, died from head injuries.

The crash happened on Dava Moor near Grantown-on-Spey in the Highlands

A police investigation found Tierney was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs and had not been speeding at the time.

His defence counsel David Nicolson told the High Court in Edinburgh: "He accepts that he drove his vehicle into the oncoming carriageway and did so for a number of seconds.

"Even to this present day he does not know how that came to pass.

"It seems that he has lost concentration for a number of seconds. There is no other explanation to be found, despite extensive inquiry,"

'Broken man'

Mr Nicolson said the crash had left Tierney a "broken man".

Judge Lord Arthurson told Tierney that he had expressed appropriate remorse and was a low-risk offender who had taken responsibility for his actions which led to the catastrophic incident.

The judge said he had concluded that a significant custodial disposal was required. He was also banned from driving for seven years.

Sgt David Miller, who was senior investigating officer for the incident, said: "We welcome the sentence handed down to Gary Tierney, whose driving on that day fell far below the standard expected of any driver, let alone a professional HGV driver.

"His actions highlight the devastating consequences of dangerous driving and the lasting impact it has on those involved, along with their families and friends."