A killer trucker who failed to spot a 74-year-old cyclist on a road in highland Perthshire is facing jail.
David McGarry, 59, failed to maintain proper observations while driving a Scania R450 lorry on the A85 Road To The Isles near Inverardran.
The accident occurred about 5.45pm on Monday, August 23, 2021.
Cyclist Neil Smith was heading westwards towards Crianlarich when he was struck by McGarry’s lorry.
Police closed the road for around eight hours to allow a full collision investigation to take place.
Cyclist died at the scene
At Stirling Sheriff Court on Friday, McGarry, of Whitehaven, Cumbria, pleaded guilty to causing his death by careless driving.
According to the charge, he failed to maintain proper observations, failed to see Mr Smith, then a cyclist on the roadway, and caused his truck to collide with Mr Smith, injuring him so severely “that he died there and then”.
Sheriff Eddie Gilmour deferred sentence for background reports, including a restriction of liberty assessment, in order to check McGarry’s suitability for an electronic ankle tag and curfew to be imposed as a direct alternative to a jail sentence.
He ordered that a summary of the facts should be given at the deferred date, and imposed an immediate interim driving ban.
Advocate Gillian Ross, for McGarry, reserved mitigation.
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