Italian tourist caused fatal crash, court told

AN ITALIAN tourist caused a fatal accident on Scotland's notorious A9 road when he pulled out of a line of traffic and tried to overtake a lorry, a court heard yesterday.

Andrea Mancioppi, 31, was only a mile away from an overtaking lane when he attempted the manoeuvre and struck an oncoming car.

Linda Lindsay, 63, of Bearsden, Glasgow, suffered severe injuries and died at the scene.

A judge was told that Mancioppi had a limited command of English and had not fully understood a sign advising of the upcoming overtaking lane.

The accident happened on 4 September, 2008, and Mancioppi failed to appear for a trial last year. A European arrest warrant was issued and an Italian court ordered his extradition.

Mancioppi, an accounts clerk from Rome, admitted causing Mrs Lindsay's death by dangerous driving. He will be sentenced next month.

The High Court in Edinburgh was told Mrs Lindsay was a front seat passenger in a Honda Jazz being driven north by her husband, Allan Lindsay, 64, to their holiday home in Boat of Garten.

Mancioppi was driving a hired Vauxhall Vectra and his partner, Silvia Lombardi, was with him.

Advocate-depute Gillian More said the collision occurred at about 2:10pm in good weather at Inverton, near Kingussie, where the road had a 60mph limit and ran through open moorland. For southbound vehicles like the Vauxhall, there was a sweeping right-hand, uphill bend.

A tanker lorry, doing 48mph, led a queue of several cars. There were four cars between the lorry and the Vauxhall.

"Andrea Mancioppi pulled out to overtake the cars in front of him and the tanker. He carried out this manoeuvre on the approach to the bend and in the face of Mr Lindsay's oncoming car. His car and Mr Lindsay's car met more or less at the side of the lorry," said Mrs More.

Mancioppi told police that a van in front of him had overtaken the lorry and he had followed. The van had pulled on to its own side of the road and he found himself facing the oncoming car. He had assumed because the van driver had thought it was safe to overtake, it would be safe for him to overtake, too.

Mrs More said only two witnesses spoke of seeing a van overtaking before the Vauxhall; all other witnesses were sure that the car was the one vehicle making the manoeuvre.

"Regardless of whether or not there was a van in front, accident investigators conclude that the fault for this accident lies solely with the accused. They state that he carried out an overtaking manoeuvre on a line of traffic with reduced visibility ahead," added Mrs More.

"Mr Lindsay has been devastated by the loss of his wife."

The defence solicitor-advocate, Des Finnieston, said Mancioppi's lack of a full understanding of English had caused confusion about the sign.