Father of crash victim criticises delays into tragedy’s inquiry

The dad of M9 crash victim John Yuill has criticised delays over crucial reports and blamed them for holding up the probe into the 2015 tragedy.

Crown prosecutors have looked at possible charges against police under the Health and Safety at Work Act, but the Health and Safety Executive said the incident does not come under its remit. As a result, outside experts had to be brought in by the Crown.

Gordon Yuill fears this has led to long delays and said his family remain unclear why the HSE are not involved.

John, 28, and Lamara Bell, 25, were returning from a camping trip in July 2015 when they came off the motorway near Stirling and crashed down an embankment into trees.

The couple lay undiscovered for three days despite a 101 call being made by a member of the public to report the incident.

Police only sent a crew to investigate the crash when a second call was made by someone else three days later. John is thought to have died at the scene of the crash. Lamara died in hospital four days after they were found.

It is understood the HSE deemed the case as a road traffic accident.

Gordon feels there was scope for the agency to investigate police under a section of law which covers the safety of “others who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work”.

Gordon, 53, of Camelon, Falkirk, said: “There is a possible breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act and, as far as we are concerned, HSE should have taken up the investigation. Instead we have private contractors investigating – which to me is crazy – and we remain unclear why HSE are not involved.”