A family’s summer holiday plans were dented when a butcher fell asleep at the wheel and hit their car as they travelled to Edinburgh Airport.
Kamil Rumak appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court to plead guilty to driving dangerously on the B981 road between Cluny and Chapel Level A92 on July 29 2023.
Rumak was the holder of a provisional licence at the time and drove off after the collision, despite striking the side of the other vehicle.
The 27-year-old, of Carden Avenue, Cardenden, later claimed to police he had heard a bang and woke up but did not see another car.
His £16,000 car was written off.
Woken by bang
Prosecutor Lauren Pennycook told the court at around 4.10am a family were travelling to Edinburgh Airport when they saw headlights coming towards them.
They initially thought the vehicle was on the correct side of the road but soon realised it was not.
The fiscal depute said the driver braked immediately and swerved to avoid a head-on collision.
“This caused (his) vehicle to come into contact with the kerb, while Mr Rumak’s vehicle scraped along the off-side of his vehicle before striking the rear right side of his car”.
She said both vehicles stopped but moments later, the male driver looked out of his rear view mirror to see Rumak’s vehicle drive off in the same direction it had been travelling, towards Cardenden.
Police were contacted and officers found Rumak’s “significantly damaged” vehicle a short distance away.
In response to being cautioned and charged Rumak said: “It’s because I fell asleep at the wheel”.
The fiscal depute said Rumak said he “heard the bang, woke up and stopped but did not see another car”.
He said if he had, he would have made sure they were okay.
‘Nightmarish’
Asked by Sheriff Timothy Niven-Smith if the family’s holiday plans were interrupted by the incident, the fiscal said, although no injuries were suffered, they had to have the vehicle uplifted and thereafter “did not make it to Edinburgh Airport”.
Rumak pled guilty to driving dangerously, failing to stop and give details and driving while unsupervised as the holder of a provisional driving licence.
Defence lawyer David Cranston said: “It was pretty nightmarish, and not least for the poor… family.
“You can imagine the horror for Mr Rumak, who had fallen asleep at the wheel and was awoken by a loud bang and realised something happened.”
The solicitor said his client had been having marital issues and had been at his mother’s house in Kirkcaldy.
His mother was “less than sympathetic” so he slept in the car but found it too cold and set off to go home to “try and sort things out”.
£16k write-off
The lawyer said Rumak moved to the UK from Poland with his partner as a teenager and works at The Buffalo Farm as a butcher.
Mr Cranston said Rumak had been learning to drive since 2021 and not long before the accident obtained the vehicle on finance, costing him about £16,000 with payments at £250 per month.
The solicitor continued: “It’s not a surprise to hear the car is a loss.
“It was not insured in this circumstance – no pay out for him.
“He is continuing to have to pay finance on it”.
Mr Cranston said the finance company will try to sell the scrap and come to an arrangement, adding: “There has been massive financial loss here”.
He added: “There is no self pity. He knows something horrible happened here and will be punished for it”.
Sheriff Niven-Smith banned Rumak from driving for 12 months and fined him £600, reduced from £900 due to his early guilty plea.
He was admonished on the other two charges.
For more local court content visit our dedicated page or join us on Facebook.
