Man who vanished following two-car crash on A7 near Selkirk appears in court
Last updated 9th Jun 2025
A 26-year-old man who sparked a major police search lasting several days after vanishing from the scene of a two-car crash on the A7 near Selkirk has today (Monday) pled guilty to a charge of careless driving.
The town's Sheriff Court heard Shane Donnelly (pictured top) had been travelling north, towards his home in Galashiels, when his car suddenly veered onto the opposite side of the road, and collided with a vehicle being driven in the opposite direction.
Emergency services raced to the scene, near the Bridgelands Road junction, after the alarm was raised around 7.10pm on January 14th.
But, when police arrived, there was no sign of him.
The woman in the other car was unable to open her door but, after being freed, was taken to hospital with bruising and soreness to her neck and back.
It had been feared Donnelly may also have been injured. And a police helicopter, sniffer dog, drone and mountain rescue teams were drafted in to help look for him.
When officers caught up with him, Donnelly confirmed he had been driving and blamed his disappearance on concussion suffered in the smash.
In addition to the charge of careless driving, Donnelly also admitted failing to report the accident within 24 hours.
Sentence has been deferred until July 8th for background reports.
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