A9 victim is named

Police inquiries ongoing

A 72-year old man who was killed in a road smash near Balhaldie earlier this month has been named by police.

Mervyn Bowden, from Inverness, was tragically killed when the car in which he was travelling was involved in a crash with a lorry a mile from the filling station on the southbound carriageway of the A9 on June 12.

Emergency services rushed to the scene of the incident at around 12.50pm after reports of an accident involving a Mercedes-Benz E-Class car, an HGV and a Vauxhall Astra.

Mr Bowden was the front-seat passenger of the Mercedes E Class vehicle that was in collision with an HGV, which was parked in a lay–by at the time.

Mr Bowden was pronounced dead at the scene while the 71-yearold driver, also a man, was in a serious condition and taken to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

Police say that the Mercedes first collided with the lorry before hitting the Astra.

Inspector Andrew Thomson, from Forth Valley’s Road Policing Unit, said: “Our thoughts continue to be with Mr Bowden’s friends and family at this very difficult time.

“Our inquiries into the collision are ongoing and we ask anyone who may have witnessed what happened, and has not yet spoken to officers, to get in touch as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information can contact the Road Policing Unit at Stirling by calling the 101 non–emergency number and quoting the incident number 1704 of June 12.

There have been a number of accidents on the stretch of road in recent years.

In June last year, a man had to be cut free from his vehicle following a road smash between a 4x4 and a lorry on the A9, near Balhaldie Service Station.

The injured man, who was in his 30s and had been trapped in his vehicle, was airlifted to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary following the crash.

In April this year, a person was rushed to hospital following a car crash on the A9, southbound at Balhaldie, near to the location known as Little Chef.

Later that same month, a woman had to be cut free from her car following a crash northbound, also on the A9 at Balhaldie. The road was closed in both directions and the air ambulance was called to the scene.