Student Killed in Crash was on way to Celebrate End of Uni Exams

A student died after a lorry careered into his taxi when he was on his way to a night out to celebrate finishing his university exams, a court heard. Business student Anton Dementyev, 19, was with three friends when Andrew Wilson's articulated lorry hit them. Wilson, 55, went through a red light on Argyle Street at the junction with the M8 motorway and collided with the Skoda. Russian teenager Mr Dementyev was taken to hospital with a severe head and neck injury but tragically died the following day. Taxi driver William Tombe and students Juan Doval, from Madrid, Camillo Herrara from Columbia and Daulet Abalov, from Kazakhstan, were also injured. Wilson, from Ripon, North Yorkshire, pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to causing Mr Dementyev's death by careless driving, on May 8, 2013 and causing severe injury and permanent disfigurement to the other passengers. The court heard Wilson left Harrogate in Yorkshire with plumbing materials to start his journey to Glasgow. Around 11pm on May 8, Mr Doval phoned a taxi from his student accomodation on Dumbarton Road, Glasgow. He and the other three teenagers - who were all friends - headed to Glasgow City centre. Procurator fiscal depute John Bedford said: "All were en route to a nightclub in Queen Street, Glasgow to celebrate the conclusion of their exams." Mr Abolov sat in the passenger seat in the front while the other three sat in the back with Mr Dementyev in the middle in the back. None of the students in the back of the car were wearing seatbelts. At around 11.20pm Wilson came off of the motorway and travelled through the junction towards the traffic lights on Argyle Street, travelling at 34mph in a 30mph zone. At the same time the taxi made its way along Stobcross Street to the junction with Argyle Street. Mr Bedford said: "The accused failed to comply with a red traffic light at the junction and struck the taxi on its near side and pushed it southwards. "The accused's vehicle and the taxi then collided with the support pillar for the Kingston Bridge." Both vehicles came to rest after moving over the carriageway. When police arrived at the scene Wilson told them "I didn't see the second set of lights." Those in the taxi had to be cut out using specialist equipment and Mr Dementyev was taken to to the Western Infirmary with "a significant head and neck injury". He later died the following day as a result of his injury. A pathologist later confirmed that even if Mr Dementyev had been wearing a seatbelt it would have made no difference. Mr Tombe had a fractured left cheek bone and cuts to his left ear and eye which were stitched. Mr Herrara suffered swelling, grazes and bruising to his face and head and a cut above his left eyebrow. Mr Abalov had a fracture to his pelvis, groin and chest injuries and a fracture to the left temporal bone in his skull. Mr Doval broke his right leg and left wrist and suffered a fracture to left of his skull as well as multiple pelvic fractures and bruising to his lungs. He had glass embedded in his forehead and a cut to the right side of it. All will have permanent scars as a result of the incident. Defence counsel Simon Gilbride said Wilson has been driving since he was 17 and has held an HGV licence for more than 30 years. He said his client wanted to give his condolences to all those involved and particularly Mr Dementyev's family. Sheriff Kenneth Mitchell said: "This is a particularly sad and tragic accident because the accused failed to observe and obey a red traffic light causing the collision in which one young man sustained injuries which he would not survive." He added: "The accused has been a driveer for many years and has held an HGV licence for more than 30 years. He has no previous convictions and this is also a tragedy for him." Sentence was deferred until next month and Wilson's bail was continued.