Xander Irvine: Parents of toddler killed by driver with dementia on Edinburgh's Morningside Road speak of grief for first time

Key Points

Paul and Victoria Irvine spoke exclusively to STV News about the death of their son, Xander
The three-year-old died after being hit while walking with his mum on Edinburgh’s Morningside Road in 2020
The driver of the car was 91-year-old Edith Duncan, who had dementia
She lost control of her vehicle while turning and mounted the pavement
A fatal accident inquiry found the crash was ‘entirely caused’ by Ms Duncan’s ‘inability’ to safely perform the manoeuvre
Sheriff Nigel Ross recommended an overhaul of the current system of self-certification of fitness to drive
The recommendations include requiring anyone over 80 to undertake a cognitive assessment before a renewed licence is granted
Sheriff Ross also recommended further questions be added to the current application form for renewal of a driving licence

The parents of a toddler killed after being struck by a car driven by a 91-year pensioner with dementia have spoken about their grief for the first time.

Three-year-old Xander Irvine died after he was hit by a Kia Picanto car while out walking with his mum, Victoria, on Morningside Road, Edinburgh, on June 30, 2020.

Speaking exclusively to STV News about their son’s death, Victoria and her husband Paul said their life changed forever on the day of the crash.

“I don’t know how we coped to be honest, neither of us wanted to be here without him,” said Victoria. “We have a lot of good people around us – good family, good friends and neighbours – and I think that’s the only way that we can keep going.

“We’ve always just stuck together for our boy.”

Paul added: “The house was always full of joy, laughter, singing, we were always just having a carry-on and then just that one day it was all just ripped away from us…and then the start of this life.”

“For me, I just remember the silence. I sat at the window just staring out into space, for what must have been close to a couple of months.

“The whole house was just silent, no TV, nothing. We were both in shock, it was a very difficult time. It’s hard now but it was very difficult back then. There are no words that you can ever describe to anybody about how that makes you feel and how it affects your life.

“It just completely turns your life upside down. I don’t think we’ll ever come to terms with it, especially given the circumstances and knowing that had there been something in place – something a bit more robust than the current system – then we might still have our boy.”

The car was being driven by Edith Duncan whom, a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) in the city’s sheriff court heard earlier this year, was performing a turning manoeuvre when she accelerated and struck Xander and Victoria.

Xander died in Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children later the same day from “multiple injuries”.

Sheriff Nigel Ross concluded Ms Duncan, who had dementia, lost control of her car during the turning manoeuvre which caused her car to mount the pavement, striking Xander and his mother.

He said in a written FAI determination this loss of control was “entirely caused” by Ms Duncan’s “inability” to perform safely “what would otherwise have been a routine turning manoeuvre”.

He added the collision could have been avoided if Ms Duncan’s cognitive ability been properly assessed and had authorities subsequently moved to revoke her driving licence.

Ms Duncan, who was facing prosecution for the incident, died a year after the crash.

Victoria said: “After meetings with the Crown Office, we made it clear that we really wanted something to happen, something positive in Xander’s name.

“It came from the highest level in Scotland – they agreed that this inquiry should go ahead. We certainly felt some relief that it would going ahead and that this is the right thing.”

Paul added: “Sitting through the fatal accident inquiry I heard a lot of experts say there’s a big rise in cognitive decline and that it’s only going to get worse.

“It’s important for me because we want something important to come out of this – we feel it’s what Xander deserves.

“It’s only inevitable that something like this might happen again, more than likely will, so this is why we want to try and push the government and the DVLA to make these recommendations that the sheriff has come up with.”

Victoria said: “We don’t want something like this to happen to any other families and that’s our wish.”

Sheriff Ross described the current system of self-certification of fitness to drive for people over 70 years of age as “significantly defective”.

He recommended an overhaul of the system including limiting self-certification to people aged under 80 and requiring anyone over 80 to undertake a cognitive assessment before a renewed licence is granted.

Victoria said: “We felt a certain amount of relief that all the experts were in agreement that we needed to bring in these proportionate changes now and we need to modernise the way we assess older drivers.

“We certainly feel this is something we want to see sooner rather than later. We’re appealing to the government and the DVLA to step up and make this a priority.

“We have to see change in Xander’s name, we have a very real fear about this happening again to another family and we don’t want to see anyone else go through anything like what we’ve been through.

“I think when the sheriff said in his recommendations that if there had been some better procedures in place back then, this accident could have been avoided – that just says it all for us.”

Paul and Victoria spoke to STV News reporter Laura Alderman. STV News

Reflecting on Xander’s character, both Victoria and Paul said the cherished memories spent with their son gave them comfort.

Paul said: “I just think he had a fantastic imagination. He would sit and play with his toys and the wee characters that he would come up with, the wee stories, were just amazing to watch.

“He was a very kind, gentle little boy. I remember he picked up a wee snail once and I just watched how he interacted with it – so gentle and caring.

“He was very smart. I remember at the age of two he could recite all the planets in the solar system.

Victoria added: “We just love him so much, he was such a bright wee character, always full of fun” He loved books and stories. We spent a lot of time together outdoors, exploring nature. He loved playing in the woods and visiting the family farm in Northern Ireland.

“He loved trucks and fire engines, he was a very sociable wee boy. He always had a smile for people he had met and became quite well-known in the community.

“We just think about him all the time and we talk about him often, we always love talking about him.

“We’ve got so many beautiful photos and videos and crucially so many happy memories of him.

“He was a very happy wee boy.”