Crash victim dies five months on

Feb 18 2011 by Denis Brown, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

A LONDON woman has died from injuries sustained in an horrific Perthshire car crash last September.

Irene Jackson (67) was driving a Micra that collided with a Vauxhall Antara carrying three Fife residents on the Errol to Grange Road in the Carse of Gowrie at 9.40am on Sunday, September 18.

Her front seat passenger Catherine Mealy (63), an auxiliary nurse from Galleywall Road in London, was pronounced dead at the scene, while she sustained pelvic and other serious injuries.

The rear-seat female passenger, a 70-year-old Dundonian, underwent surgery on leg fractures, while the Antara driver (69) and her female passengers, aged 56 and 58, received minor injuries.

Mrs Jackson, originally from Dundee, had been visiting family on holiday, and despite initially recovering from injuries, died this month at Watford General Hospital in London.

A report has been submitted to the procurator fiscal.

The tragic incident at the Errol junction was preceded by another crash at the site earlier that month, when an 83-year-old Isle of Harris male driver in a Toyota Yaris collided with a 40-ton lorry.

Although the Yaris was severely damaged, he and his 76-year-old wife – who required surgery on a shattered wrist – survived the impact.

The couple were en route from the Outer Hebrides to visit their son in Bridge of Earn.

Police said the uninjured 49-year-old HGV driver had been travelling east along the Errol to Grange Road and had right of way at the Station Road junction.

At the time, Insp Grant Edward, of Tayside’s Road Policing Unit, said both recent crashes at the same junction were comparable, not just in terms of location.

“It would appear that there were similar vehicle movements to the incident involving the Yaris and an artic only two weeks ago,” he said.

He said since 2006 there had been three other similar but minor incidents at the junction, prompting Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) – the statutory roads authority – to make safety improvements.

A PKC spokesman said after a series of “over-shoots” at the junction several years ago, anti-skid surfacing and an advance give way sign had been installed.