M74 motorway driver causes multi-car crash after slamming on brakes in fast lane road rage row
A road rage driver caused a high speed crash after confronting another motorist in the fast lane of the M74[1].
Stephen Neill slammed on his brakes and stopped on the motorway before challenging shocked driver John Turnbull. The 51-year-old was travelling southbound with his teenage daughter when he undertook a vehicle driven by Turnbull, 43.
Furious Neill, who runs a construction firm, got out of his Ford Focus and shouted ‘are you f*****g nuts?’ at Turnbull. A van driver behind the pair ploughed into the rear of Turnbull’s Volkswagen Golf at 70mph.
Turnbull was taken to hospital and treated for head injuries and pain in his chest and legs. He was also given a CT scan after suffering a seizure as he was about to be discharged.
Neill, of Stonehouse, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court[3] and admitted driving his vehicle culpably and recklessly and causing injury to Turnbull in June 2021.
Sheriff Liam Murphy ordered him to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work and put him under supervision for two years as a direct alternative to prison.
Neill was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Describing dash cam footage caught by Turnbull, depute fiscal Chloe O’Hara said: “John Turnbull can be seen driving along the slip road approaching the motorway behind a silver vehicle and then merges onto the motorway.
“He moves into lane two of the motorway behind a black vehicle and the accused, driving a white Ford Focus, undertakes John Turnbull’s vehicle and proceeds to cut in front of him into lane two leaving very little space between the surrounding vehicles.
“The accused, seen wearing an orange T-shirt, comes to a complete halt in lane two forcing John Turnbull to stop his vehicle and exits his vehicle and runs towards Turnbull’s vehicle.
“The accused can be heard shouting ‘are you f*****g nuts’ towards John Turnbull and then his vehicle collides forward into the accused’s vehicle and the screen goes black.”
The court heard Neill had stopped taking medication before the incident and had also complained of covid symptoms.
Simon Gilbride, defence advocate, said: “He pled guilty to an extremely serious matter and the circumstances of it are extremely unusual.
“Another extraordinary aspect of this case is that his daughter was in the car at the time and, to use a non-medical term, he was clearly not in a good frame of mind to have put his own child at risk like that.
“He fully accepts responsibility for this and does not seek to pass the buck.”
Sheriff Murphy said: “It was an extraordinary set of circumstances and it is remarkable that the injuries were not more severe or long lasting and that all those involved made a full recovery.
“I’m persuaded in this case that there is an alternative way of dealing with this and will impose a community payback order.”
The sheriff added: “Given the nature of your driving, I’m satisfied that a period of disqualification is appropriate.”