Man who caused friend's death in crash avoids jail

A man convicted of causing his teenage friend's death in a crash by driving carelessly has been ordered to carry out 300 hours of community service.

Passenger Dylan Irvine, 19, died when the car driven by Jake Summers crashed off the A90 in Aberdeenshire in October 2020 and landed in a field.

Summers, 21, had denied the charge but was found guilty after a trial.

He has also been placed under supervision for two years and must wear an electronic tag for 10 months.

Summers was also banned from driving for three years.

Dylan Irvine's family said his death left a void that could not be filled.

The trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that Summers was thought to have been driving at 91mph before the crash on the A90 near St Fergus.

Collision investigator PC Calum Jamieson said it was likely the car hit one tree at high speed, then struck another before spinning 360 degrees and landing in the field.

"It was a very, very violent impact," he said.

Friends of the two men said Dylan Irvine had sent Snapchat messages only moments before the crash.

Other drivers who travelled on the road that night described the road surface as wet and drizzly.

Dylan suffered fatal injuries in the crash and was thrown from the vehicle.

Summers crawled from the wreckage, but it took 10 hours before the crash was noticed and the emergency services were called.

Police Scotland later apologised for incorrectly telling Summers' family that it was him who had died in the crash. A "confused scene" after the accident was blamed.

Sheriff Morag McLaughlin said the impact of Dylan's death had been "immeasurable" to his family.

"There's nothing about this case that is anything but completely tragic on every level," she said.

Dylan's mum Amanda Irvine had previously issued a statement in which she said that losing a child "brings a pain like nothing else".

"Dylan's absence has created a void in our family that simply cannot, and will not ever, be filled," she said.

"Each day I go to work I have to drive along the same road, the very spot, where Dylan died.

"It's agonising, because each time I pass it creates anxiety as I imagine what happened in those final moments and how the crash might have been avoided."

She said that no sentence could come close to reflecting the value of Dylan's life or the significance of his loss.

"While accountability is important, I know it doesn't make sense to rob another young man of a future," she added.

"But it's not enough to just feel bad or say sorry because what matters is action.

"So I hope Jake sees the outcome for what it is - an opportunity to improve, live rightly, help others and do something of value with his life and become more than just the boy racer who killed his friend."

Defence agent David Moggach had urged Sheriff McLaughlin not to jail his client.

He said Summers would have to live for the rest of his life with the knowledge that he caused the death of his friend.