The Glasgow Herald reported “The evidence to the effect was that Naismith had a young lady as a pillion passenger whom he was taking home to East Kilbride. At the excessive speed estimated by witnesses as being around 30 miles per hour, he turned out of Auchinraith Road into Main Street at High Blantyre. An approaching motor cyclist had to mount the pavement to avoid him. Naismith then collided with an approaching pedal cyclist about the middle of the roadway. He swerved on to the footpath to avoid any further damage, but unfortunately knocked down two pedestrians. As a third man rushed over to save a young child, the bike got in the way of him and knocked him too.”
Had this accident happened these days, the man would surely have been tested for alcohol. Not so common those days and this whole sorry saga unfortunately does sound like a drunken driver accident. The first breathalyzer in the UK wasn’t introduced until 1967, but other less reliable tests were conducted on drivers for a couple of decades prior to this.