The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Wife tells of shock over motorcycle crash death
FORFAR: Well-known Angus garage owner killed in accident near Blair Atholl
An Angus garage owner was killed in a Perthshire motorcycle accident on Saturday night.
Father-of-three Neil Cownie, 51, suffered fatal injuries in the accident on a minor road near Blair Atholl. His death was described as a “complete shock” by his wife Brenda at their Forfar home yesterday.
She said her husband was a very experienced motorcyclist who had been out on his bike all day on Saturday.
She added: “At the time of the accident, he had just left the friend he had been with and would have been on his way back to Forfar.
“It’s a complete shock. He was someone who got on with everybody. He was very friendly.”
Mr Cownie owned Baldoukie Motors, which has branches near Forfar and in Perth.
A Forfar father-of-three has been named as the victim of a weekend motorcycle accident in Perthshire.
Neil Cownie, 51, suffered fatal injuries in the accident on the B8079 road near Blair Atholl at 8.30pm on Saturday.
His wife Brenda described the death of the local garage owner as a “complete shock”.
She said: “He was a keen motorcyclist – he followed Valentino Rossi – and knew that road like the back of his hand.
“On Saturday he was just out having fun. It had been a while since he had been out on the bike and he had been out the whole day enjoying himself.
“He had a few bikes. I don’t know what bike it was he was using at the time.
“At the point of the accident I think he was on his own. He had just left the friend he had been with and would have been on his way back to Forfar.”
The road was closed overnight to allow accident investigators to carry out their work, reopening at 5.30am on Sunday.
Mrs Cownie added: “We don’t know what happened – if he fell off the bike or if he hit something. There was a car at the scene.
“It’s just unbelievable. He was a very experienced motorcyclist.
“He’d had a break from being on the bike but he was always on the road whether it was cars, bikes, artics or buses.
“It’s a complete shock. He was someone who got on with everybody. He was very friendly.”
Mr Cownie was born in Forfar and attended Langlands Primary School and Forfar Academy.
He studied mechanics at Dundee College and did a mechanic apprenticeship. After his apprenticeship he worked at a tyre fitter in Kirriemuir, before working at Don and Low in Forfar, BRS in Dundee and Dundee City Council.
Mr Cownie then opened his own garage, Baldoukie Motors, near Tannadice in 2003. A Perth branch to the business opened five years ago.
He was also a retained firefighter for more than 20 years in Forfar until around 2009.
Mr Cownie is survived by his children, Christopher, Stephen and Nicola.
Police Scotland made another appeal for any witnesses to the accident to come forward.
A spokesman said: “Inquiries into the full set of circumstances of the incident are ongoing and Tayside Division would appeal for anyone who may have information that could assist officers to contact Tayside Division on 101.
“As with all sudden deaths a report has been submitted to the procurator fiscal.”