A “babbling” life-banned driver caused a four-vehicle crash after taking cocaine and morphine.
One man was seriously injured and three others were hurt, along with Terence Burns, who has now been jailed.
Already banned for life, 46-year-old Burns had been taking cocaine until 11pm at a party the night before and swallowed morphine just hours before the crash.
He failed to spot traffic had stopped at lights outside Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy on August 7 and smashed into one car, sending it into another.
His own vehicle hit a car in the adjacent lane.
A paramedic discovered the scene and more emergency services soon arrived.
Burns, wearing a Sex Drugs and Sausage Rolls top, failed a roadside intoxication test and apologised to the occupants of the other vehicles before being taken away by police.
Burns pled guilty to causing serious injury by driving dangerously, causing serious injury by driving while disqualified and driving while unfit through drink or drugs.
He was jailed for 30 months and handed another lifetime driving ban.
Four-car smash
Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard traffic had stopped at a red light on Hayfield Road, at the junction with Whyteman’s Brae, at around 10.45am.
This was not spotted by drug-addled Burns, who failed to slow and ploughed his white Vauxhall Insignia into the back of a Volvo V40.
The driver of that vehicle was sent in turn into the Citroen in front, occupied by a couple and a 14-year-old girl.
In the adjacent lane, waiting to turn, was a Mazda CX-5.
Burns’ own vehicle and the Volvo both spun 90 degrees and the CX-5 was struck.
Babbling driver
When emergency services arrived, Burns was described as babbling and not making sense and his speech was slurred.
The Volvo driver suffered a fractured wrist and the Citroen driver had a broken nose.
Other injuries were reported.
Burns had a fractured wrist and later needed an operation.
Tests showed he was over the limit for a cocaine derivative and morphine and still had cocaine in his system.
Burns was remanded following a hearing on August 11 and has been in HMP Perth since. His prison sentence was backdated to this date.
Self-medicating
On Friday, solicitor Kieran Clegg said Burns had been the victim of an assault in 2018, which broke four vertebrae in his back.
He had been prescribed morphine but when released from a sentence at HMP Glenochil, he was no longer registered with a GP and began self-medicating.
Mr Clegg said: “On the evening previously, he had been invited to a party.
“He gets there, there are drugs being taken and he makes the unfortunate decision to engage in that behaviour.
“He left around 11pm. He tells me the last time he took cocaine was just before 11pm.
“The last capsule of morphine he took was around 7am.
“The reason he’s driving on the morning is he had taken up work as a landscaper.
“He was working 60 to 70 hours a week.”
‘Farcical’
Sheriff James Williamson said: “The context of this is this is a man who by my calculations was driving with ten times the limit of cocaine and morphine.
“You don’t have to be a medical professional to know the last thing you should do with that amount of drugs in your system is get in a car.
“Mr Burns, the idea that on the morning of August 7, you were on your way to work is almost farcical.
“That you were driving that vehicle with the amount of drugs in your system is terrifying.
“The aggravating factors are all too obvious.
“That day, you were driving the car with ten times the limit of benzoylecgonine and seven times the limit of morphine.
“You were found to be babbling and incoherent.
“I find no mitigatory factors – none.
“There’s no alternative to a custodial sentence and given your record, a significant sentence.”
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