The trial of a retired accountant, accused of causing the death of a pensioner friend in a fatal crash, has been postponed to allow a doctor to probe whether the accused’s sleep disorder played a part in the tragedy.
Iain Mortimer is accused of crashing his E-class Mercedes into a lorry parked in a layby beside the A9 in Perthshire.
Mortimer, 72, is said to have caused the crash by failing to keep an eye on the road ahead.
It is alleged that after the initial impact, Mortimer’s black Mercedes ricocheted across the road, hitting a Vauxhall Astra.
Mortimer’s front-seat passenger, Mervyn Bowden, of Kirkhill, Inverness-shire, died at the scene of the accident.
Mr Crawford said the defence was “investigating an issue related to obstructive sleep apnoea”.
A new trial date of October 24 was set, after a further procedural hearing on October 8, from which Mortimer’s attendance was excused.
The single charge against Mortimer, of Beauly, Inverness-shire, alleges that, on the dual carriageway between Perth and Stirling near the junction for Upper Whitestone Farm, he caused Mr Bowden’s death by driving his Mercedes without due care and attention or reasonable consideration for other persons using the road.
