No emergency braking was applied to a van which struck and killed a cyclist in Fife, a trial was told.
A tyre mark from a “locked” bike wheel marked the spot where cyclist Iain Anderson was struck by a flatbed truck in a fatal accident in Fife, a jury heard.
However, there were no skid marks on the road from the Nissan Cabstar being driven by Adam Fernie, who is accused of causing the of the 66-year-old by dangerous driving.
Retired police officer Michael Greig, 55, an experienced accident investigator, said he had tested the Nissan’s brakes following the crash on the B937 near Ladybank in August 2019.
He told the High Court in Livingston the front service brakes were capable of locking the wheels, which would leave tyre marks on the road surface.
Advocate depute Gavin Anderson asked him: “In relation to the collision seen in this case, did you find any locked tyre marks attributable to the Nissan?”
He replied: “No we didn’t.”
Mr Anderson asked: “Do you draw any conclusion from not finding such marks?”
Mr Greig answered: “That emergency braking wasn’t applied.”
Damage to van and bike
Mr Greig said he had found particles of glass from the smashed windscreen of the truck, which had dislodged from its mounting and was pushed inwards, and broken pieces of debris from both the bike and the van were scattered over the road.
He added he found two vertical “cleaning marks” on the front bumper of the truck, caused by it “coming into contact with something”.
There was also damage to the passenger side headlamp area, the rear mirror and the lower nearside of the internal dashboard which was dented and pushed rearwards.
He said Mr Anderson’s Coyote Connect folding electric bike had sustained severe collision damage to the rear, consistent with being struck by the Nissan.
After examining the bicycle, Mr Greig said he had concluded that it had no defects that were considered to have contributed to the collision.
Denies all charges
Fernie, 80, from Cardenden in Fife, is charged with causing his Nissan Cabstar to collide with Mr Anderson without braking or taking evasive action.
Prosecutors state Fernie’s vehicle was damaged and father-of-five Mr Anderson, from Glenrothes, was so severely injured he died at the scene.
In addition to causing death by dangerous driving, Fernie is charged with failing to stop after the accident, failing to give his name and address to any person with reasonable grounds for asking, failing to identify the owner of the vehicle and failing to provide the identification mark of the vehicle.
He also faces a third charge of using the vehicle in dangerous condition with a seized brake, a faulty handbrake, a missing wheel nut, a noisy wheel bearing, a worn track rod ball joint, missing fuel filler cap and a fractured fuel tank strap.
The trial before judge Lord Weir, continues.
