Driver's 4x4 'drove over woman and her scooter' during death crash

Trial: John Cameron denies the charges against him.STV

A court has heard how a man accused of causing the death of a woman by careless driving was seen driving over her in his 4x4.

Jennifer Chalmers, 53, died after her scooter was involved in a collision with a Land Rover Freelander on January 25, 2011, in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire.

John Cameron, 52, of Lubbock Park, Brechin, has denied driving without due care and attention and exiting the junction "without paying proper attention".

On Wednesday, on the first day of the trial at Stonehaven Sheriff Court, witness Alexander Keith said he had been out walking at the time and spotted the 4x4 waiting at the junction and Ms Chalmer’s scooter coming towards him.

"Next thing I knew there was a bang and as soon as I turned round there was a bike lying on its ribs," he said.

"I saw the car mounted over the moped and rolled over the top of the person on the bike."

Mr Keith later added that the car had gone over the top of the vehicle and rider "front wheel and back".

The accident happened on Stonehaven’s Arduthie Road at its junction with Westfield Road. Ms Chalmers, a mother-of-two, was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary but died from her injuries.

"What got me was the fact the motor kept going. Then I realised it was a 4x4, big car, that managed to go over the scooter," he added.

"It came to a halt and that is when the driver came out to see what had happened."

He said at that point he phoned 999 and other people came to the scene.

Mr Keith, 43, added that he had not heard the noise of a car braking and there had been nothing unusual about the scooter’s driving.

The court was told that, in an earlier statement to police, Mr Keith said that Cameron had “jumped out the large car, ran to the rider and kneeled down” following the accident.

Another witness, Nicola Ritchie, told the court she had been approaching the junction around 50m behind Cameron at the time of the incident.

The 44-year-old said: “Just as I approached the junction there was a 4x4 vehicle in the distance which seemed to rise and fall as if it had driven over something. My daughter screamed in the passenger seat next to me.”

She told the court that she stopped the car, told her daughter to stay, and ran towards the junction.

“She was lying in the road. She was with her scooter,” she added.

Both Mrs Ritchie and other witnesses said they thought that both the scooter Ms Chalmers was riding on and her clothing were black.

A third witness, Rebecca Brett, who works as a doctor, told the trial she was returning from a late house call when she came across the accident.

“It was clearly a serious accident and I pulled up on the side of the road and got out,” she said.

“I started assessing the casualty and realised there were significant injuries.”

She said she removed Ms Chalmers helmet and she began “spontaneously breathing” before starting to regain consciousness.

“When she regained consciousness she was able to say she was in pain,” she said.

Dr Brett added that Ms Chalmers had suffered “significant injuries probably multiple fractures”.

When paramedics arrived at the scene they cut Ms Chalmers from her clothing which Dr Brett noted was a black “motorcycle jacket”.

The jury of seven men and eight women were told before evidence was heard that it had been agreed prior to the trial that Cameron was the driver of the 4x4 and that Ms Chalmers scooter had been illuminated.

The trial is expected to last for up to four days.

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