Driver killed brother and two passengers after hitting monument wall in South Lanarkshire

A driver killed his brother and two other passengers after he ploughed into a monument wall.

Samuel Williamson, 33, was behind the wheel of a Vauxhall Astra convertible which went airborne in Bothwell, South Lanarkshire, on December 4, 2020.

Williamson had a cocktail of drink and drugs in his system before the horror crash which claimed the lives of sibling James Williamson, 37, Mandy McCallum, 30, and Ernest Beveridge, 62.

James Williamson and Ms McCallum were thrown from the car as it was propelled off of the wall and a tree on Hamilton Road.

Williamson initially stated that he was not the driver of the car despite his fingerprints being on the steering wheel.

He was also found to have no licence or insurance and was not authorised to drive the vehicle.

Williamson pled guilty to causing the trio’s deaths by dangerous driving at the High Court in Glasgow.

Williamson, of Larkhall, South Lanarkshire, faces an “inevitable” jail term when he returns to the dock in February.

The court heard the Astra was owned by an unrelated person who asked one of Williamson’s later passengers Peter Ferguson to park it at his home in Bothwell.

Two days later Williamson drove from the Bothwell property with Mr Ferguson in the passenger seat around 4.35am.

The three others and Mr Ferguson’s dog occupied the back seats with Williamson intending to drive home to Larkhall.

Prosecutor Chris MacIntosh said: “A collision occurred whereby the vehicle failed to negotiate the left-hand bend of the road and it crossed the northbound lane.

“It entered the pavement and struck a stone wall surrounding a memorial there.

“This caused the vehicle to become airborne and it continued before the rear of the car struck a mature tree.

“The vehicle was propelled east and landed heavily back on the road.

“Two of the passengers were thrown from the vehicle as a result of the collision.”

The vehicle was stated to have rotated anti-clockwise while in the air.

Emergency crews arrived to find Williamson trapped in the driver’s seat still breathing but unresponsive as was Mr Ferguson.

James Williamson was discovered 20 yards from the car in cardiac arrest with a “traumatic head injury.”

He had suffered severe chest and abdominal injuries.

Mr Beveridge meantime sustained severe injuries to the head, chest, abdomen and pelvis.

Ms McCallum suffered chest, abdomen and pelvis injuries.

All three were pronounced dead later that morning.

Mr Ferguson escaped with an arm injury, however, his dog was also put down due to the nature of its wounds.

Williamson was noted to smell of alcohol at the scene and later denied he was driving despite his right hand on the wheel.

A blood test was carried out at hospital which uncovered that Williamson was more than three times over the limit.

Six types of drugs including cocaine, morphine and etizolam were also found in his system.

Mr MacIntosh added: “The levels of alcohol and all drugs would be enough to have caused impairment.”

Williamson was quizzed by police in January 2021 and stated he could “not remember” who was driving.

Mr MacIntosh: “He attempted to explain why his fingerprints may be found on the steering wheel, stating that he had been steering but not driving.”

Williamson had also sustained numerous fractures as well as a bleed to the brain and a punctured lung as a result of the crash.

The car – which had suffered significant damage – was found to have had no pre-existing defects before the collision.

It was estimated that the car was travelling up to 60 miles per hour in a 30 zone at the time.

Mr MacIntosh: “It is the collision investigator’s conclusion that the crash was entirely due to the fault of Williamson as the driver.”

Mr Beveridge, formerly of East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, – who was a widower – is survived by his two children

James Williamson, formerly of Larkhall, is survived by his six-year-old son.

Ms McCallum is survived by her 13-year-old son.

John Brannigan, defending, told the court: “Mr Williamson wishes to express his deepest sympathy to those involved who lost their lives and families affected.

“It is something that has weighed heavily on his mind which is nothing compared to the fatalities.

“It is the most tragic case and he knows this.”

It was revealed that unemployed Williamson had 16 previous convictions at the time of the collision.

Judge Graham Buchanan remanded Williamson in custody pending background reports.

He said: “It goes without saying, this is a matter of the uttermost seriousness and it is inevitable a substantial sentence of imprisonment will be imposed.”