School leaver Dies After Highland Smash near Newtonmore, Highland

A young school leaver has died following a road traffic accident near Newtonmore, Highland.

The accident happened around 10:30PM on Monday night.

18 year old Grant Moir of Strathspey, died in Raigmore hospital after attempts to prolong his life failed.

The accident happened on the A86 Newtonmore to Kingussie road, the short stretch of road has had a spate of fatal accidents in the previous years. In 2007, 20 year old Private Simon Duncan died whilst on leave when a car he was travelling in left the road near the Kingussie boundary. The car Simon was travelling in hit a tree in a ditch to the side of the road.

James McCorkindale was driving at the time of the crash which killed Simon. James was charged with driving at excessive speed on the A86 Kingussie to Newtonmore road on January 31 last year, failing to negotiate a bend, losing control of the vehicle, and causing it to mount a verge and collide with a tree.

18 Months before Private Simon Duncan died, Edinburgh mechanic Henry Brown (41) died after his car hit left the road and hit the same tree, witnesses earlier noted that Mr Brown was travelling at excessive speed earlier in the evening.

Tributes have been left at the roadside by friends of the youngster.

It is understood that Grant Moir was not wearing a seatbelt on the night of the crash.

Scotland Transerv, managing the road between Kingussie and Newtonmore, advised that there was no ongoing safety concerns about the road in terms of design or layout.

Image and text: Aaron Sneddon www.aaronsneddon.co.uk