A daredevil car race between two drivers on a public Scottish road ended in the death of an innocent pedestrian, a trial was told.
Witnesses told the High Court in Dundee how the two motorists were tailing each other "like Formula One drivers" and taking "racing lines" around bends moments before the tragic smash.
Grant Whyte, 22, and Alan Duffus, 62, deny racing each other at dangerous and excessive speeds along windy country roads.
Mr Whyte is alleged to have lost control of his Vauxhall Corsa, skidded off the road, and knocked down Senga Elder, 67, who was walking along the pavement near her home. Mr Duffus is also accused of failing to stop at the crash scene, which occurred on January 24, 2008 in Auchtermuchty, in Fife.
One witness, who rushed to the scene of the crash, found his co-worker at Myres Castle, Mrs Elder already dead.
He told the court how Mr Whyte said at the scene: "I think I've killed her."
At the High Court in Dundee before judge Lady Dorrian, the jury heard evidence of the pair racing along the B936 Falkland to Auchtermuchty road before the fateful incident.
Phillip Reid, a qualified driving, was working as a gardener at Myres Castle on the outskirts of Auchtermuchty when he saw the two cars pass him and his colleague Matthew Dixon, minutes after they had waved goodbye to colleague Mrs Elder, who was walking back into the village.
He said: "I thought they were racing. The red BMW was being followed by a grey Corsa about two to three car lengths behind and sounded like it was in a lower gear that it needed to be.
"When they disappeared I turned to Mr Dixon and said, 'Bloody idiots', and I went back to work. Then, I heard the noise of a crash. I ran into the village and saw the aftermath of an accident. I kept running and saw the grey car half on the kerb, against the fence. It was the same car that had passed.
"I got to the grey car and saw someone lying in the park, seemingly not moving. I jumped over the fence to see if I could administer first aid, and that's when I saw who it was. I tried to resuscitate her but couldn't establish an airway. There was no sign of life at all."
Mr Dixon was also in no doubt that the pair had been racing.
He added: "They were really close to each other, like see Formula One drivers, you know, one behind the other. They were apexing the corners, not following the road completely, cutting corners.
"When I heard the distinctive sound of a crash, I thought of Senga. I sometimes gave Senga a lift home and I had a feeling that she would've been on the road about that time."
Duffus, of Kinnesswood in Fife, and Whyte, of Cupar, also in Fife, both deny the charges.
The trial continues.
Last updated: 03 November 2009, 08:40
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