Officers acted ‘appropriately’ after man died in road collision
An independent investigation report has found that Police Scotland officers acted appropriately in their interaction with a man who later died after his car collided with an articulated lorry.
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) said that during the early hours of March 29, officers saw the 36-year-old within an unlit car that was parked dangerously on the A1 dual carriageway in Edinburgh.
“They carried out the necessary roadside checks, including a breath test which came back negative, to establish if the man was fit to drive and escorted him to a safe area in a car park in Edinburgh, where they provided him with advice on safe driving,” it added.
“The man had said he was tired and would rest in his car before travelling any further to a relative’s house in Fife and the officers left.
“About two hours later, police received a call advising that the man had died after the car he was driving collided with a stationary articulated lorry at Harthill Services on the M8, Harthill.”
The PIRC said CCTV showed the car did not slow down as it left the motorway for the service station before hitting a kerb and colliding with the lorry.
On March 29, Police Scotland referred the incident to the PIRC. The investigation found that the officers’ actions were appropriate and in accordance with police procedures.
PIRC Investigators obtained witness statements from the police officers and examined STORM Command and Control incident logs, Airwave communications, briefing papers, viewed public space CCTV and Standard Operating Procedures.
“It is not known why the man did not slow down or take action to avoid colliding with the lorry,” said the PIRC.
It added that no recommendations were made in respect of the incident.
