M9 crash victim Lamara Bell’s pain was ‘incomprehensible’ during three days of suffering FAI rules
M9 crash victim Lamara Bell endured “almost incomprehensible” suffering as she was left dying in a car for three days, a fatal accident inquiry has ruled.
Sheriff James Williamson accused police of serious failings in not following up a call about the crash.
Lamara Bell was left for three days in a crashed car on the M9
John Yuill, Lamara’s partner, died in the crash in 2015
Cops at the scene of the tragedy after they finally attended the scene three days after being alerted
The delay led to 25-year-old Lamara’s death four days later in hospital after partner John Yuill, 28, died at the scene, the inquiry found.
Sheriff Williamson concluded that the “failings of Police Scotland had fatal consequences” for Lamara.
Her “almost incomprehensible” suffering was compounded by being trapped in the wreckage and open to the elements as her partner lay dead beside her, he added.
If she had been admitted to hospital swiftly her head injury would have been managed and complications “substantially avoided”, he added.
The inquiry heard the couple were heading home from a camping trip when their Renault Clio left the road near Stirling on July 5, 2015.
A farmer called 999 to report seeing the vehicle down an embankment.
But a blunder at a police call-handling centre meant their response was delayed.
At the inquiry at Falkirk Sheriff Court, Mr Yuill — clocked travelling at 91mph in the hours before the crash — was described as a “boy racer”.
The sheriff said that if Mr Yuill, a provisional driver with a 30-joints-a-day cannabis habit, had taken reasonable precautions — including choosing not to drive — the crash might never have happened.
CCTV footage showed his blue Clio striking a kerb and bouncing back in a parking bay at Broxden services, Perth.
And he was seen to stumble — indicating he was not in full control.
The sheriff concluded the crash might have been avoided if Mr Yuill had not been driving at such high speed following a night consuming alcohol and cannabis.
But he concluded police “failed John Yuill and to a far greater extent Lamara Bell”.
Sgt Brian Henry had recorded a call about the crash in his notebook but failed to log it in the system.
The inquiry heard he had been working overtime as a call handler at the service centre in Bilston Glen, Midlothian — then described in the ruling as a “confused, fractious working environment”.
Sheriff Williamson said police had not identified the risk that calls might not be dealt with.
He added that Mr Henry was “inadequately trained and left largely unsupervised to operate a system that allowed for human error to go undetected”.
We told how Lamara’s mum Diane hailed a £100,000 fine for the force in 2021, after they admitted health and safety failings, as justice for her daughter.
And John Yuill’s dad, Gordon, has previously claimed his son could have been saved if he had got prompt medical treatment.
His stepmum died seven years later, before the FAI got under way last September.
Sheriff Williamson’s report said: “Very sadly John Yuill’s stepmother, Anita Dollard, passed away on 24th November 2022. Her passing was prior to the start of the FAI.
“I appreciate the length of time it took to commence this inquiry has taken its toll on Gordon Yuill and his family.”
He noted that Police Scotland’s Contact, Command and Control Division — which oversees call handling — had been transformed since the scandal.
The force now operates a “sophisticated complex of service centres all capable of communicating with each other on a unified IT network”, he said.
Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs admitted he could not offer any consolation to loved ones of the crash victims.
But he said: “I can give them my assurance that lessons have been learned.
“The relentless improvement of service delivery lies at the heart of everything we do.
“We are studying the determination in detail for any learning which will form part of this continuous improvement.”
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