Girl mown down by car helped save lives

Published on Thursday 19 May 2011 17:30

A YOUNG woman who was killed after a boy racer ploughed into her helped save the lives of five other people after her organs were donated.

Fiona Clason, 24, died from head injuries after being hit by David Nisbet, 22, in the high speed hit-and-run in November 2009.

Nisbet, of Colonsay View, Granton, was yesterday jailed for five years and eight months.

The High Court heard how Miss Clason's family had been left devastated by her death, but that five others had been helped by the donation of her organs.

Judge Lady Smith was told that the lives of Nisbet's parents had also been torn apart by the tragedy as it resulted in them splitting up.

Nisbet's mother was a nurse dealing with long-term head injury patients and blamed her husband for "indulging" their son and his love of cars.

Miss Clason, a former Portobello High pupil, was about to start a teacher-training course after graduating with a first-class honours degree in English literature from Dundee University.

Friend Alana Scott told the Evening News: "Fifs was one in a million and very much loved by anyone who knew her. We'd known each other since we were wee girls and I miss her every day."

Miss Clason had been visiting her mother, June Tiffney, at her home in Waterfront Avenue, Granton, when she was struck by Nisbet's Volkswagen Golf. He was driving the car up to speeds of 80mph in the residential street, which has a 30mph limit. Nisbet tried to overtake another car and spun out of control into the path of a bus.

Bus driver James Brondum narrowly avoided a collision by swerving out of the way.

Nisbet's car mounted a kerb and hit a lamppost, but he re-gained control and sped away, hitting Miss Clason as she crossed Waterfront Avenue.

She died from head injuries the following day. Nisbet drove off and it was almost five hours before he reported the accident. Tiler Nisbet admitted causing Miss Clason's death by driving dangerously, at excessive speed and with "utter disregard for the prevailing conditions".

Jailing him, judge Lady Smith told him he had abruptly ended a young life full of promise and no sentence of the court could bring her back.

The accident was not the first tragedy to hit Ms Tiffney. Her sister, Louise Tiffney, disappeared in 2002 and Louise's son, Sean Flynn, was later acquitted of her murder after a trial three years later.

The judge told Nisbet: "To say that your driving was stupid, selfish and irresponsible is a gross understatement. Notwithstanding the fact that it must have been glaringly obvious to you that you had caused a terrible accident, you didn't stop and didn't report the accident. You drove away."Defence QC Mhairi Richards said Nisbet had found it difficult to deal with his own feelings of guilt and remorse.

He was disqualified from driving for ten years and ordered to resit an extended driving test at the end of his ban.