Nurse accused of causing death of pensioner by careless driving was on her way home from night shift, court told
Last updated 25th Nov 2024
A nurse accused of causing the death of a pensioner by careless driving has gone on trial in the Scottish Borders.
Jedburgh Sheriff Court heard Angela Hislop, from Kelso, was on her way home from a night shift at Borders General Hospital - where she worked in the Emergency Department - when the tragedy unfolded shortly before 9am on November 11th, 2022.
The 48-year-old had been negotiating a left hand bend on the B6397 road, not far from the rear entrance to Floors Castle, when her red Mercedes GLE 300 collided with a grey Kia Venga being driven in the opposite direction.
Emergency services raced to the scene, near the turn-off to Galalaw Farm Cottages, after the alarm was raised.
But the driver of that vehicle - 72-year-old Janette Davidson, also from Kelso - died from her injuries.
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The jury has this afternoon (Monday) been shown photographs of a police reconstruction of the crash, with evidence focussing on deposits of vehicle fluid found on the road, and how slippy it may or may not have been at the time.
Speaking from the witness box, Sergeant Fraser Mitchell said: "The road surface wasn't a factor at that point."
But the court heard the collision investigator based his assessment on a skid test carried out around three hours after the crash took place.
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A gouge mark on the side of road the Kia had been travelling on, Sergeant Mitchell said, marked the point of impact, with both vehicles suffering significant damage.
Hislop is accused of failing to maintain proper observations, and driving into the opposing lane when it was unsafe to do so.
She denies the charge, and the trial before Sheriff Peter Paterson - which is expected to last around three days - continues.
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