Fatal Accident Inquiry to be held into deaths of mum and partner on M9

A Fatal Accident Inquiry will be held into the deaths of a young mum and her partner after they lay undiscovered in a car for days following a crash on the M9.

Lamara Bell, 25, and her partner John Yuill, 28, died after their car left the motorway near Stirling on July 5, 2015.

Despite a call to Police Scotland, it took three days for the force to respond and when officers finally arrived at the scene, Mr Yuill was found to be dead while Mrs Bell died four days later in hospital.

Crown counsel has now formally instructed that there should be a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) to examine the full circumstances surrounding their deaths.

The families have been informed of this decision, the Crown said.

It follows an investigation and criminal prosecution against the Office of the Chief Constable of Police Scotland.

Mrs Bell’s family agreed a civil settlement with Police Scotland and will receive more than £1m in damages.

The Crown said it will continue with work in preparation of the inquiry but said there were steps that had to be taken before a notice can be sent to the court to ask that proceedings be ordered.

A spokesperson said family members would continue to be kept fully informed of progress.

Justin Farrell, deputy procurator discal, specialist casework, said: “The prosecution in this case was an important step which had to be taken before the holding of a FAI could be fully considered.

“The public interest will now be further served in a FAI to examine the full circumstances surrounding these tragic deaths and to help avoid such an incident happening again in the future.

“It is important that the Crown facilitates the process of putting all relevant information into the public domain.

“Dates for the FAI will be set by the court in due course, and the Crown intends to initiate this process in 2022.”