A student who caused the death of an elderly pensioner by driving her vehicle carelessly on an Edinburgh road has avoided a custodial sentence.
Eilidh Addison was driving a black Ford Fiesta when she collided with 87-year-old pedestrian Susan Nisbet at the capital’s St John’s Road, Corstorphine, on 30 December 2024.
Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told Mrs Nisbet had been rushed to hospital following the collision but had sadly passed away three days later on 3 January last year.
The court heard 24-year-old Addison had just finished work and was heading to her parent’s home when she struck Mrs Nisbet near to the city’s Drumbrae roundabout at around 5:45pm.
Addison, of Dunfermline, Fife, immediately pulled her vehicle over and was said to have attempted to help the seriously injured OAP.
She was later arrested and charged and pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving at a hearing at the capital court on 2 September this year.
She returned to the dock for sentencing on Monday 12 October where defence lawyer Richard Freeman told the court the weather conditions that evening were dark and wet due to heavy rain.
Mr Freeman said: “It was very dark as she proceeded along the road.
“As she passed the pedestrian crossing there was a period of darkness made worse by the street lighting being obscured by an overgrowth of trees.
“Along that side of the road there were parked cars which added to the limited visibility of Mrs Nisbet who was wearing predominately dark clothing.
“The accused was travelling at an appropriate speed. My client fully accepts she did not stop in time.”
The lawyer added Addison had “a previous good driving record” and had shown remorse over the tragic accident.
He told the court the university student was just 22 at the time, she was “an inexperienced driver” and had suffered flashbacks due to the incident.
Mr Freeman also said it had been the first time Addison had performed an emergency stop.
Sheriff Frank Gill said statements from Mrs Nisbet’s family had stated she had been “a loving and much-loved sister, mother and grandmother” and her death has been “devastating” for them.
The sheriff said “no sentence from this court could possibly hope to make up for the loss” the family has suffered but that Addison accepts “full responsibility” and has expressed “significant remorse”.
The court was told mitigating factors included Addison having no criminal record, a clean driving licence and that she had “remained at the scene and had attempted to assist in the aftermath of the incident”.
The sheriff sentenced Addison to a community payback order with an unpaid work order of 130 hours of unpaid work and banned her from driving for 18 months.
Addison pleaded guilty to causing the death of Susan Nisbet, aged 87, by driving without due care and attention and did fail to maintain proper observation, fail to see Mrs Nisbet on the carriageway and strike the pedestrian with her vehicle causing her to fall to the ground where Mrs Nisbet was so seriously injured she died at St John’s Road, Edinburgh, on 30 December 2024.
