A DRIVER killed a dad-of-four in a crash when he attempted to shepherd a loose dog into a driveway using his lorry, a court heard this week.
Wayne McKay was behind the wheel of a Citroen Relay drop-sided lorry when he pulled in front of motorcyclist Andrew Mann, 40.
He should have been able to see Mr Mann approaching on his green Kawasaki motorbike for at least 7.45 seconds, prosecutors said.
Mr Mann, a senior planning consultant for Savills, died at the scene of the crash, which happened on the A31 near Sturminster Marshall on the morning of April 30 last year.
The crash happened on a relatively straight section of the road which is subject to a 60 mile per hour speed limit.
McKay, 41 and of Westminster Road in Branksome Park, appeared at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Thursday to admit causing death by careless driving.
Jessica Price, prosecuting, said McKay had been driving west, towards Bere Regis, when he saw a small black dog run out into the road from the entrance of Henbury House. The dog ran along the road and into the entrance of the Henbury Stud Farm.
McKay then indicated and pulled across the road into the driveway of the stud farm in a bid to keep the dog out of the carriageway. However, he had failed to spot Mr Mann approaching in the opposite direction. The biker hit the lorry and was thrown off.
The moment of the collision was captured by CCTV from the stud farm and dash cam footage from a third vehicle. Both films were shown to the court.
McKay was interviewed at the scene by PC Dave Cotterill. A breathalyser provided a negative result and his lorry had no defects.
“He said a black dog ran out and he wanted to catch it to assist,” Ms Price said.
“It ran into Henbury Stud Farm and he pulled across the road.”
McKay told the officer he wanted to “usher the dog into the driveway and detain it”, Ms Price told the court.
“He said he had considered deliberately hitting the dog to prevent it running into the road. He was very focused on the dog and did not see the oncoming motorbike,” she said.
District Judge Stephen Nicholls said he felt the court’s sentencing powers were not adequate, and committed the case to Bournemouth Crown Court.
McKay will be sentenced next month.
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