A Kilwinning motorist involved in a fatal crash has been charged with causing the death of a woman by dangerous driving.

Prosecutors allege that David Norman MacDonald had no driving licence or insurance at the time of the accident which resulted in the death of 45-year-old Leeanne Aitken.

Fast food restaurant worker Leeanne, from Livingston, West Lothian, was driving a close family friend home from work when tragedy struck on January 8.

By chance, Leeanne’s son Graham Tait, 24, had been following her car because he wanted to break the good news that he had been offered a new job.

He was one of the first on the scene of the tragic accident on the A705 Cousland Road, Livingston.

Graham pulled a 19-year-old passenger to safety before was flown to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary by air ambulance.

The teenager survived, but he was unable to save his mum who succumbed to serious injuries trapped in the wreckage.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

James Tait, 47, Leanne’s ex-husband and father to her three sons, Graham, Daniel and 27-year-old Christopher, said the boys were her life.

“She was always so proud of them, it didn’t matter what they did, she was entirely supportive,” he said.

In a statement, the family said: "Leeanne was a loving, caring mother, daughter and sister. 

"She always had an ear for anyone that needed it and always a shoulder to cry on, she would do her utmost to help anyone out and offer guidance. She will be missed dearly, but loved always."

MacDonald, 41, who was driving an Audi, reportedly sustained a serious arm injury in the collision and was taken to hospital before being released following treatment.

A 39-year-old man and four-year-old girl in a Honda escaped serious injury although the child was taken to hospital as a precaution.

The A705 was closed for about seven and a half hours as specialist crash investigators were called in.

MacDonald, 41, from Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, made no plea when he appeared on petition at Livingston Sheriff Court on three road traffic charges.

He was committed for further examination and released on bail pending further investigations.