O/T Drive way above the speed limit, this is what happens

[kloon]

A Young driver was killed and four teenagers injured in a smash in Aberdeen.

Driver Thomas McDonald, 20, died after he lost control of his Ford Sierra and it ploughed into parked cars.

Three of his four passengers - aged 13, 15, 19 and 20 - were seriously hurt.

Police and fire officers described it as a horrific accident.

One fireman said it was the type of crash he would have expected to have seen on a high-speed open road.

The smash happened on Torry's Girdleness Road about 8.30pm last night.

Mr

McDonald, of the area's Morven Place, died instantly at the scene.

Three of his passengers were seriously injured and the fourth was

walking wounded.

Torry resident Natalie Hall, 17, was at a neighbour's house when she heard the crash.

She said: "It was like a rumble of thunder.

"I ran outside and saw cars smashed everywhere. I shouted to my mum to get the phone and I ran to the car."

Natalie,

a service receptionist for Arnold Clark, said she tried to help at the

scene where the dead man's father had also turned up. She said: "I was

shocked by the whole thing.

"I was still awake at 4am today. I could still hear the thud in my head."

Natalie's

mum, Ruth, 40 - a printing supervisor - added: "It's a good job there

weren't children about. There are quite a few children who live in the

area. They sometimes play on their bikes on the pavement."

June Thomson's parked silver Astra was among the cars badly damaged in the incident.

The

38-year-old said: "I just heard this huge bang and ran out to see what

was happening. We don't know what happened but it looked horrific."

A

dozen firefighters using hydraulic cutting gear took nearly half an

hour to cut the passengers free from the wreckage of the crushed Sierra.

They were taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in a fleet of ambulances.

Sergeant

Stewart Mackie said: " It appears the Sierra was travelling west along

Girdleness Road when it lost control and collided with some parked cars

on the junction with Gregness Gardens.

" There's obviously been significant impact given the parked vehicles have been pushed up on to the footpath.

"It's

very lucky nobody was walking along the pavement at the time of the

accident otherwise they would also have suffered serious injuries."

Fire

and rescue station officer Mike Dickson said: "It was a severe accident

for a city street where you are limited by a speed limit of 30mph.

"We would normally expect to see an accident of that severity on a highly-speeded, open road."

==

Looking at the pics in the local rag, it's fairly obvious this was caused by driving at some way above the speed limit, some witnesses reckon he was going at something like 80-90 mph. Having driven that road hundreds of times over the years it's the kind that even at 30mph you got to have yer wits about you, parked cars either side, main bus route and kids playing either side at all times of the day. Another young life lost to the road and another grieving family, sad days indeed.

[rabskyline]

this is the kind of thing that also gets good young drivers tugged by the law every 10 mins ! i think that they should do what the irish did some years ago and make the youngsters drive lesser powered cars (with 2 years probation on l plates)and have a curfew at 10pm too unless they have a good reason for being out (ie work etc). this was to try and stop joyriders in belfast but seemed to work in general for peoples safety !

[jcscoob]

Very sad but sure to happen, at least it was the person resposable that died and not his 4 inocent pasengers ! []

[sharon_mccall]

I totally agree with you jc.......very sad but the driver chose to do those speeds and unforunately had to accept the fatal consequences.[]