Lives torn apart by fatal crashes on the A9, Scotland’s longest road

Steven McKenzieBBC Scotland NewsChris StrongKatie Bastion-Robust, who died in a crash on the A9 in 2022, pictured along with her husband Chris and their daughtersA dream journey to Scotland resulted in tragedy for Chris Robust’s household.His spouse Katie had travelled from the US to the Highlands along with her brother and their mom to go to areas from their favorite TV present, Outlander.However they by no means got here dwelling. All three had been killed in a crash on the infamous A9 in August 2022.Their deaths had been one other statistic within the grim historical past of Scotland’s longest trunk highway.A complete of 48 individuals have misplaced their lives on the 113-mile stretch between Inverness and Perth within the final 10 years.The highway commonly adjustments from single to twin carriageway. Drivers can usually be seen driving at extreme speeds to overhaul strains of slower-moving automobiles, and at sure junctions automobiles have to show proper throughout site visitors coming the opposite manner.The work to twin the remaining single-carriageway sections was initially as a result of be completed by 2025 – however that deadline has slipped by a decade to 2035.Chris StrongChris mentioned his spouse was the “glue” that held the nice issues about his household togetherChris Robust, who lives in Chicago with the couple’s three daughters, has advised BBC Alba’s Eòrpa programme of the painful lasting influence of the deaths.He mentioned his spouse Katie was “the glue that held all the nice parts of our households collectively”.”She was stunning, and he or she was the toughest working particular person I would ever met,” he mentioned.”She by no means sat nonetheless and was so formidable and was at all times studying and at all times at school. She was at all times caring for individuals.”Chris, a photographer, says he retains recollections of Katie and her household alive.”We attempt to discuss her rather a lot. I really feel like she’s nonetheless a presence in our dwelling.”Chris StrongChris mentioned he nonetheless felt Katie’s presence in his household’s homeKatie was 46 when she visited Scotland along with her 45-year-old brother, Jared Bastion, and their mom, Mary-Lou Mauch.They had been all followers of Outlander, which that they had watched collectively whereas caring for his or her late father David whereas he suffered with dementia.Throughout their journey that they had visited Culloden Battlefield close to Inverness, one of many areas from the present.They had been on a single carriageway part of the A9 south of Aviemore when their automotive was concerned in a collision with a lorry.Mary-Lou and Jared died on the scene. Katie, who was driving the automotive, died in hospital 4 days later.The lorry driver was not harm.Chris mentioned: “I do not know why it occurred.”She was going to make a right-hand flip off of the A9, and he or she turned proper in entrance of a lorry.”Chris received the following aircraft to Scotland after he came upon concerning the crash.Katie was receiving remedy in a hospital in Dundee.Chris mentioned: “I used to be in a position to get there in time to see her. She was on a ventilator.”I received to spend perhaps 24 hours along with her.”Then they did assessments and decided that she was not going to return again.”Head-on collisionRonnie Weir was left injured by a crash on the A9 in PerthshireOthers have skilled tragedy on the A9 first-hand.Ronnie Weir, who lives just a few metres away from the highway in Dowally, Perthshire, was concerned in an accident in April 2017.He was driving dwelling from Pitlochry when a automotive got here in direction of him on the mistaken aspect of the highway. They collided head-on.The driving force of the opposite car had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died on the wheel earlier than the crash.Ronnie, who suffered leg accidents, mentioned he felt the results of the accident daily.”The trauma which an accident causes is horrendous. Generally it’s tough to talk about it,” he mentioned.Lorry driver Elaine McKenzie says her religion is essential to her when she prepares for journeys on the A9Lorry driver Elaine MacKenzie is a daily consumer of the highway – and says she prays each time she units out on the A9.She mentioned: “I pray for myself, for my lorry, but additionally for everybody else with me too – for everybody on the A9, however particularly for the lorries.”Elaine believed there have been a lot of elements behind accidents on the A9.She mentioned some drivers didn’t perceive the highway indicators, whereas others tried to overhaul her lorry in harmful locations.”If the highway was dualled all the way in which from Inverness to Perth it could be very totally different,” she added.”As a result of then automobiles might overtake me in the event that they wished, and also you would not should be anxious.”A complete of 48 individuals died between 2014 and 2024 after collisions on the A9 between Inverness and Perth, in response to Scottish authorities knowledge which Eòrpa obtained via Freedom of Info.Greater than 80% of those that misplaced their lives had been on elements of the highway that weren’t twin carriageway.Over the identical 10 years, 558 different individuals had been concerned in collisions. Greater than 80% of them had been on sections which weren’t dualled.The SNP made a dedication in 2007 to twin the A9 from Inverness to Perth, and in 2011 the Scotish authorities set a goal date of 2025.However in February 2023, ministers admitted that ending the £3bn mission by then was “unachieveable”.Ten months later, the federal government mentioned that finishing the work had been delayed by 10 years till 2035.On the time the transport secretary, Mairi McAllan, mentioned {that a} new rolling programme of enhancements was “achievable” and there can be “no let up” within the work.Two sections of single carriageway totalling 11 miles (18km) of highway have been upgraded over the previous decade – however 77 miles of the route has nonetheless to be dualled.A9 Twin Motion Group campaigner Laura Hansler, who lives close to the highway the place it passes via the Cairngorms, mentioned she knew the highway constructing mission was complicated.However she added: “Each time there’s a delay… you are mainly going to trigger another person and one other household to lose their cherished one on this highway.”Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop mentioned the Scottish authorities has a plan to finish the dualling projectTransport Secretary Fiona Hyslop mentioned she understood there have been frustrations across the dualling of the highway.”Any lack of a life on the A9, or certainly different roads in Scotland, is a tragedy in and of itself,” she mentioned”Highway security is one thing I take extraordinarily severely.”She mentioned the federal government was not simply ready for the dualling to happen, and had invested £5m in interim, shorter-term highway issues of safety on the A9.”The dualling in and of itself will assistance on highway security and that is one of many causes that we have launched into it,” she mentioned.Hyslop mentioned circumstances past the Scottish authorities’s management had affected the mission, together with Brexit – the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union – and the Covid pandemic.However she added: “We now have a plan, we’re assembly our milestones.”