Rally fan tells how he and his son fled fatal crash

A rally fan has told how he feared he would be hit as he ran away from a crashing car which killed three people.

Mark Scott’s son also revealed to a fatal accident inquiry that the chief marshal had approved the spot where they were standing at the Jim Clark Rally near Coldstream, in Berwickshire, but he later discovered spectators should have been banned from the area as it was “notorious” for accidents.

Mr Scott said he and his son Keir were standing near a humpback bridge at the Swinton stage, which they thought was “safe” as they were behind tape, when the crash occurred. He said: “My son said, ‘He’s lost it, run’. We’d already discussed if something happens you’ve got to escape somewhere. We just turned and ran into the field.

“You heard the screaming of metal. You just felt that something was going to catch the back of your legs and you were just trying to run as fast as you could.”

The joint inquiry is examining the deaths of photographer Iain Provan, 64, his partner Elizabeth Allan, 63, known as Betty, and Len Stern 71, at the May 2014 rally, and also that of Joy Robson, 51, at the Snowman Rally in Glenurquhart, in Invernessshire, the previous year.

The inquiry continues.