Edinburgh student admits to causing death of pedestrian in hit and run collision

A University of Edinburgh student has been jailed after killing a pedestrian in a hit and run incident.

Ralph Fairhurst was driving at two times the speed limit when he hit Kyle Middlemas, failing to stop after the collision.

The 20-year-old was killed after being hit by Fairhurst’s car when he crossed the road in Edinburgh in 2022, Edinburgh Live reports.

The High Court was told that the crash led to Kyle being thrown 10-20m (33-66ft) into the air, suffering severe head and chest injuries.

He was assisted at the scene by witnesses and taken by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he succumbed to his injuries 10 days later.

Appearing in court on Friday September 19th, Fairhurst, admitted causing the death of Kyle Middlemass, by driving dangerously by travelling at excessive speed and failing to maintain proper observations of the road ahead.

The court heard how the 26-year-old university student from Thorntreeside, Edinburgh, was driving at more than 46mph prior to the fatal crash on a 20mph stretch of Easter Road.He already had three points on his license for speeding at the time of the crash on June 19th, 2022.

Judge Lord Young placed the 26-year-old in prison while a background report is prepared on him ahead of his sentencing next month. The judge said: “A custodial sentence is inevitable given the gravity of the offence.”.

Defence counsel Mark Stewart KC said he was instructed to tender “the deepest and most sincere sympathies of the accused to the family and friends of the deceased”.

Mark Stewart told the court that Fairhurst was aware he had collided with something, but “simply did not see the deceased”, he instead believed it to have been “street furniture”.

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He also said that Fairhurst is currently awaiting the results of his university exams and expected that he would have normally graduated later this autumn.

The court heard Mr Middlemass had started work as a painter and decorator, but was trained in first aid, swimming coaching and as a lifeguard and planned to seek employment in that line of work. He had attended a friend’s 21st birthday party before going to a nightclub on the night of the collision.

Witnesses of the collision went to aid Kyle after he was left lying face down on a pavement. Mr McKenna said: “They provided assistance and remained at the scene until the arrival of the emergency services.”

Kyle was in cardiac arrest by the time paramedics treated him, and he was stabilised before being taken by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he was placed in the intensive care unit before he succumbed to his injuries.

Featured image via Google Maps.

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