Drunk Driver on Mobile Phone Kills Grandfather in Fatal Hit-and-Run

A drunk driver, who was using his mobile phone at the time of the incident, killed a grandfather in a hit-and-run collision. The family of James Craig has raised concerns about how the repeat offender, Gary Gallacher, was able to operate a vehicle and cause such profound grief.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that Gallacher, 37, was driving a hired Mercedes in Hamilton on October 27, 2024, when he struck Mr. Craig. Gallacher had consumed alcohol and was reportedly showing a passenger something on his phone when the collision occurred. A witness stated that the vehicle did not appear to brake.

"The impact was described as quite substantial and caused Mr Craig to be thrown up from the road towards the kerb," prosecutor Naomei Warner told the court. Mr. Craig, a father of three, was walking home from his local pub and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Gallacher did not stop after hitting Mr. Craig, reportedly claiming he was "on the run" from the police. He was described by witnesses as "full of it on drink and drugs." He was apprehended in February, months after the incident, when arrested for a separate offense.

It was revealed in court that Gallacher has prior convictions for kidnapping, dangerous driving, and driving while disqualified. He pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was remanded in custody. Sentencing has been deferred to a later date.

Following the hearing, Mr. Craig's family released a statement expressing their pain and questioning the circumstances that allowed Gallacher to be in a position to commit such a crime. "There are questions about how someone with such a significant history came to be in a position where this could happen and we hope those questions are properly acknowledged at sentencing," they stated. The family added that Mr. Craig "was deeply loved and we will live with the pain and consequences of losing him for the rest of our lives."