An 80-year-old widow careered through two gardens and crashed into a house after failing to realise her car was in gear.
Jeananne Young accelerated forward in her Ford Fiesta after believing the vehicle was in reverse and became “disorientated”.
The Fiesta sped through a pair of gardens in Longniddry, East Lothian, before impacting the home.
The airbag deployed and neither the retired sub-postmistress or anyone else was injured in the accident.
Young appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Wednesday and pled guilty to driving carelessly and without due care and attention.
Fiscal depute Emma Laing said two witnesses saw the pensioner's Fiesta parked on the east side of the village’s John Knox Road at about 3pm on April 13.
Ms Laing said: “They observed the vehicle move off from its position at speed and travel across the carriageway.”
The prosecutor said the Fiesta mounted the pavement, collided with a metal and wire barrier fence then entered a garden.
The court heard the car went through a second garden then hit the house, dislodging its down pipe.
Ms Laing said the witnesses rushed to the Fiesta and found Young in the driver’s seat.
She added: “The accused appeared to be dazed and didn’t know what had happened.”
Young gave police a negative breathalyser test and was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for assessment, the court was told.
Defence agent John Good said Young had agreed to surrender her driving licence making any road ban “academic”.
Mr Good said his first offender client had an “unblemished driving history and character”.
He said Young had parked on the street but decided the Fiesta “could have been better parked”.
The court heard she got back inside to make a “small adjustment” and thought the car was in reverse when it was actually in gear.
Mr Good said she’d suffered a “disorientated effect” at the car going forward suddenly.
The solicitor said Young, of Longniddry, hadn’t driven since the smash but prior to the incident her GP had certified her as fit to be behind the wheel.
He added the property damage had been covered by Young’s insurance.
Sheriff Adrian Fraser said her driving had shown “quite a significant degree of carelessness”.
But he noted Young had served the community as a sub-postmistress and led an “unblemished life”.
The sheriff banned her from driving for six months and fined her £420.
