Triple death crash driver jailed for 11 months

Marin Rachev denied causing death by dangerous driving

A car driver found guilty of causing the deaths of three of his passengers by careless driving after a crash with a bus in Aberdeenshire has been jailed for 11 months.

Marin Rachev, 35, had denied driving dangerously while attempting to cross the A90 from the unclassified road to Drumlithie on 12 March last year.

Dimitar Georgiev, 32, Zaharina Hristova, 37, and Silyan Stefanov, 42, all from Bulgaria, died.

None of them were wearing seatbelts.

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Two of the three who died were thrown from the vehicle and struck by another car.

Rachev was also banned from driving for three years at the High Court in Livingston.

Rachev was crossing the A90 when the collision happened

Frances Connor, defending, said Rachev thought he had sufficient time to reach the central reservation before the bus reached his Renault Megane.

She said: "It's clear he misjudged the speed at which the bus was travelling. It's also clear from the evidence that he misjudged it by seconds.

"His car was about three quarters of the way into the central reservation when the collision occurred."

'Momentary mistake'

She added: "He's unable to step back from the nightmares and the horror to have any degree of partiality about what happened. It may take time.

"The evidence would indicate that this was an isolated, momentary mistake by Mr Rachev.

"Expert evidence was that if the occupants had been wearing seatbelts then the likelihood is that they would all have survived.

"That's not to distract from the mistake made but it makes the deaths all the more tragic."

The crash also involved a bus

Passing sentence, judge Lord Kinclaven told Rachev that careless driving could cover a broad spectrum of events.

"I require to assess your degree of culpability - your blameworthiness - as well as the gravity of the harm caused.

"In your case that includes taking into account the carnage that was caused and the loss of several lives. I don't intend to increase distress by relating the details of these events."

'So sorry'

He added: "Such is the gravity that, perhaps understandably, you continue to minimise to some extent your role in this. Your attempts to pass the blame to the bus driver at trial failed.

"Three people lost their lives - that's an aggravating factor - and in addition one person was severely injured. I also have the benefit of three victim impact statements setting out the emotional, psychological and financial impacts of your offence.

"I require to mark the seriousness of your offending. There's no alternative in my view to a custodial sentence. No other way of dealing with you is appropriate."

Rachev had broken down at the High Court in Aberdeen while describing the accident.

He said: "I do not wish this experience on no-one. It means your friends are coming into your dreams, it's every single night.

"I'm so sorry about it, I'm sorry for the bus driver, I'm sorry for everything that happened. It was a bad moment, it was a bad chance. I can't explain it any other way."