Car driver caused death of motorcyclist in North Coast 500 crash near Castletown
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A biker died following a collision with a car at a rural road junction in Caithness, a sheriff heard on Tuesday.
The tragedy led to the driver of the Skoda, Scott Craig, being charged with causing the motorcyclist's death by careless driving.
Craig, who is from Canada, was fined £7500 at Wick Sheriff Court on Wednesday. He was also banned from driving for five years.
The accident occurred almost a year ago but he was said to be still badly affected by the tragedy.
Craig (64) and his wife from Ontario, Canada, were on a touring holiday in Scotland at the time of the accident, which occurred on the A836 at its junction with the side road for Quaryside, on June 14, last year. The couple were heading for their B&B when the crash occurred.
Adrian Placzek, who was 59 at the time, and two biker colleagues were approaching from the opposite direction. He was at the back of the three.
Fiscal depute Niall Macdonald told the court that Craig's sat-nav indicated an up-and-coming right-hand turn and he reduced his speed accordingly and gave the appropriate signal.
However, Craig failed to ensure there were no oncoming vehicles and failed to give way to Mr Placzek and "began his turn when it wasn't safe to do so".
Car drivers travelling behind the accused anticipated there was going to be a collision and one of them recalled thinking: "What are you doing?"
Mr Macdonald said that a car driven by Tony Marquez had begun to pass Craig on his nearside and was almost level with the accused when hep saw "a huge burst of light" and heard a very loud sound generated by the collision and felt intense heat caused by Mr Placzek's motorbike striking the front nearside of Craig's Skoda.
The fiscal said: "This caused Mr Placzek to be thrown from his bike over the accused's vehicle and soon after, the motorbike burst into flames."
Emergency services converged on the crash scene and paramedics administered drugs to Mr Placzek who was lying behind Craig's car.
Mr Placzek, who had driven up from his home in Worthing, was treated at Caithness General Hospital for significant trauma injuries before being conveyed by air ambulance to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he passed away on June 22 despite the best efforts of the surgical team.
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An investigation into the crash carried out by police concluded that "the responsibility for the collision lies with the driver of the Skoda who has not reacted to the presence of the BMW motorcycle and has turned across its path".
The report added: "It is our opinion that the motorcycle could have been visible to the driver of the Skoda for at least 8.5 seconds. This would have given the driver ample time to react to the presence of the motorcycle. The accused fell below the standard of an objective careful and competent driver which caused the collision between the car and the motorbike driver that in turn caused his death."
Fiona MacDonald, representing Craig who was not present in court, said that no one could have envisaged that when he set out on the final lap of his tour it would end up in a crash and be the subject of a court case.
She said that Mr Placzek's death had had "a major impact" on both families.
Miss MacDonald said she had spoken to Craig on several occasions and added: "He is very stressed and will be so for a long time to come. Craig will find difficulty in moving on because every conversation returns to the crash. He is filled with guilt as to why he didn't see the biker."
Sheriff Mark Lindsay, who allowed the case to be heard in Craig's absence, described Mr Placzek as a family man of good character and an experienced biker who had not contributed to the accident "in any way".
The sheriff referred to a statement from Mr Placzek's partner, Linda Hosseny, which he said had been done "with dignity and passion" and added: "She is heartbroken by the circumstances of his death."
Passing sentence, Sheriff Lindsay said that one could only assume that there was a momentary lapse in Craig's concentration while making final checks before his turn-off. "Had he done so, it would have been obvious it would not have been safe. He made a fatal mistake."
Sheriff Lindsay said he would have been minded to impose the maximum fine of £10,000 but said that taking everything into account, including the fact that Craig was a first offender and was remorseful and had accepted responsibility for his actions at an early stage, he would discount the penalty to one of £7500.
