Rally death inquiry told how fans tried to save life

A motorsports fan has told a fatal accident inquiry how he and other spectators tried to save the life of a woman who had been struck by a rally car.

Gavin Butterworth, 25, told the inquiry how he saw a yellow Honda motor “rolling in the air” during the Snowman Rally in Inverness in February 2013.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heardhowmrbutterworth ran towards the vehicle which had came to rest in an area just off the race track.

Mr Butterworth said that when he arrived at the scene, he saw Joy Robson, 51, lying just underneath the car.

The former retained firefighter then worked with other concerned members of the public in an effort to save Ms Robson’s life.

He told the inquiry that he and other spectators then took shifts to administer CPR to Ms Robson. But their efforts were in vain as Ms Robson died shortly afterwards.

Asked by Crown lawyer Andrew Brown QC how he felt at the moment Ms Robson lost her life, Mr Butterworth replied: “Exhausted.”

Mr Butterworth, of Inverness, was giving evidence at a joint FAI which is examining the circumstances surrounding Ms Robson’s death.

The inquiry is also examining the circumstances surrounding the deaths of three other motor sport fans at a separate event, the Jim Clark rally, near Coldstream in the Scottish Borders in 2014.

The inquiry, which is being heard before Sheriff Kenneth Maciver QC, continues.