Teenager avoids prison after death crash horror

Apprentice lost control of work van to cause smash that killed kind family man

- TIM BUGLER

A teen motorist who caused the death of a father-of-two just three weeks after he passed his driving test was spared a jail sentence yesterday.

Calum Anderson, then 17, lost control of his works van and drifted into the path of a car driven by “devoted” family man George Mitchell, 57, from Airth, who was on his way to collect his daughter from school in the run-up to Christmas 2023.

Mr Mitchell’s VW Polo suffered “catastrophic” front end damage, and despite the efforts of paramedics he died at the scene from chest injuries consistent with a head-on car crash.

Stirling Sheriff Court heard that an “unknown event” had resulted in Anderson suffering “a transient but complete loss of control of his vehicle, which set in train the terrible accident”.

Speed, alcohol, drugs, tiredness, mobile phone use, mechanical defects and any link to Type 1 diabetes that Anderson had suffered from since age 14 had all been ruled out, the court heard.