Van driver 'distracted by dog' mounted kerb and hit couple killing fiancé

A van driver killed a pedestrian after claiming he had been distracted by his dog beside him.

Joseph Gorman mounted the kerb and hit Craig Wilson on the A726 Glasgow Road in Strathaven, Lanarkshire on April 1, 2023.

The 29-year-old was at the time out walking with his fiancée, her mother, and their dog, who were also all struck.

Craig, of Motherwell, did not recover. His fiancée’s mother was badly hurt, and the pet was also fatally injured.

Gorman faces a jail term after being convicted of causing death by dangerous driving following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

The 50-year-old’s bail was continued, and he will be sentenced next month.

Gorman, of Strathaven, had accepted being responsible for the crash, but insisted his driving had instead been careless.

The tradesman told how he had taken his Jack Russell in his van that day as he had also planned to take her on a walk.

Gorman had previously put the dog in his Peugeot car, but it had been harnessed.

On the morning of the collision, however, prosecutors said he “failed to secure” the Jack Russell in the van.

Questioned on why he did not use the restraint from the car, Gorman accepted he should have done.

In evidence, he described his dog as a “typical Jack Russell” and a “wee yap”.

Jurors heard Gorman had initially veered across the road before continuing to drive.

Asked about this, he told the trial: “She (the dog) was agitated, but not as bad as the second time when the accident occurred.

“Something caught her eye. It was just the way that she was looking up.”

Despite the dog being loose and moving, Gorman did not pull in to stop. He ended up drifting across the road again, failed to follow the bend and mounted the kerb.

Gorman said his agitated dog had put her paws on his legs before the collision, leading to him being distracted for “a split second”.

But, advocate depute Lindsey Dalziel suggested to him it was for “much longer” than that.

She also said it was an “obvious risk” having an unrestrained dog beside him. Gorman accepted he should have “clipped her in”.

Ms Dalziel concluded: “The distraction was not momentary. You continued (driving) until you parked the van without the handbrake on, which could have been catastrophic as well.”

The vehicle rolled back after Gorman got out and struck a telegraph pole.

Gorman earlier told his lawyer Euan Dow that when he exited the van he heard two women screaming.

He added: “I went to the male first. There was nothing I could do.

“I done first aid. I took my jacket off and I put it under his head. I checked to see if he was breathing, but he was not. I think I went into shock after that.

“To be honest, it was a blur. I did not set out to do that. It had been just an ordinary Saturday morning.

“It is just horrible for everyone involved.”

Gorman was said to have told a witness at the scene that the “sun was in my eyes” adding “my dog jumped on me”.

But the court heard drivers in that direction would not have been affected by any bright light.

Asked by Mr Dow how he felt about what happened, Gorman replied: “I cannot put it into words… a tragic accident. It is just horrible.

“I can best describe it like Groundhog Day – I think about it every day, Mr Wilson and his family as well as how he was going to get married.”

The charge stated Gorman also seriously injured Mr Wilson’s future mother-in-law, and caused the death of the dog with them.

Lady Anwar banned him from driving and the case was adjourned for reports.

After his death, a family member at the time paid tribute to Craig online, saying “he lived life to the fullest” and was a “genuine one in a million soul”.