The teenage son of tragic M9 crash victim Lamara Bell has broken his silence after a gruelling nine-year wait for answers from an investigation.
Heartbroken Kieran, who was just five years old when his mum tragically died, shared that he misses her every day and still plays her favourite music to feel connected to her.
He expressed that the results of the fatal accident inquiry do not alter his deep sense of loss. Lamara, aged 25, and her partner John Yuill, 28, perished after their vehicle veered off the M9 near Stirling on July 5, 2015, while returning from a camping trip.
Their wrecked car was overlooked for two days due to what has been described as an "organisational failure" in police call handling procedures, according to the findings of a fatal accident inquiry.
Lamara Bell's son Kieran with his grandfather James McMillan who now looks after him (UGC MSR.)The report, released on Friday, also highlighted that a police officer who neglected to record a call about the incident lacked proper training. Kieran remarked: "No matter what the outcome of the FAI is, my mum is still not here.", reports the Daily Record.
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Speaking to the Daily Record with his grandfather James McMillan's consent, who now cares for him, Kieran revealed how he reflects on his mum daily.
He shared: "She's missed out on me growing up and hasn't been here for significant moments like yesterday, when I started at a new high school. I miss my mum and wish she was still here. I listen to her favourite music every day and it helps to keep her close to me."
Grandad James noted that everyone's lives were altered following the deaths of Lamara and John, expressing his frustration over the prolonged duration of the inquiry.
He explained: "Kieran lives with me. I've always been a big part of his life, so he came to stay with me in March. He is a great kid who has just started a new school and has had a lot to cope with for someone so young. He knows the FAI has concluded but he feels it makes no difference to him because he just wants his mum. We can only hope police have truly learned from their mistakes but when you see their own federation saying there's not enough resources, it's a worry. I hope no other family has to go through this."
The inquiry revealed that Lamara might have survived if she had received medical attention on the day of the accident. However, she endured two days of suffering after a call from a member of the public to the police was ignored. Police responded only two days later when another concerned citizen reported the crashed car beside the M9.
Lamara passed away four days after being admitted to the hospital. Her partner, John Yuill, died at the scene before the police arrived. Sheriff Williamson, who presided over the FAI, determined that former sergeant Brian Henry, who neglected to log the initial report of the incident, lacked proper training.
He observed that the Bilston Glen call centre was overwhelmed due to staff shortages, and there was confusion among the officers regarding a new system for handling calls.
Sergeant Henry, now retired, had volunteered for overtime at Bilston Glen, stepping into what the sheriff characterized as a "confused, fractious working environment".
Police Scotland officers at the scene in 2015. (PA)The inquiry revealed that on July 5, a call was made by farmer John Wilson about a car off the road, which he reported to the police. The officer, Brian Henry, noted it in his police notebook but failed to enter it into the Storm case management system, leading to no further action being taken.
Sheriff Williamson pointed out that the police failed to recognise the risk of calls going unaddressed. He stated: "Brian Henry was inadequately trained and left largely unsupervised to operate a system that allowed for human error to go undetected. His human error going undetected meant that Lamara Bell was left in a vehicle by the side of a major motorway in Scotland suffering devastating injuries. These injuries, together with the delay in rescuing and treating her, led to her death."
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It wasn't until July 8, 2015, that the crashed car was finally spotted by another passerby who alerted the police, prompting emergency services to respond.
Sheriff Williamson concluded that the mishap was not due to a single individual's failure at Police Scotland but was a result of multiple failures over an extended period, during which chances to rectify them were missed.
Following the tragic incident, Lamara's family received over £1million in damages from Police Scotland in a civil settlement in December 2021, as reported exclusively by the Daily Record. In September 2021, Police Scotland faced a £100,000 fine at the High Court in Edinburgh after admitting to health and safety lapses that significantly contributed to Lamara's death.
John's father, Gordon Yuill, revealed he continuously experiences nightmares about the horrific incident. He confessed: "To hear the condition John's body was in, when the farmer spoke about it, was gut-wrenching, I still have nightmares about the whole thing."
"I was in therapy for just under six years for PTSD. The strain it put on the family was horrendous, it has been a hard, hard nine years."
Commenting on proceedings after the inquiry, Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs sympathetically noted: "Lamara Bell and John Yuill's deaths were a tragedy and my first thoughts today are with their family and friends."
"Police Scotland failed Lamara and John in 2015 and I repeat the personal apology made previously to their loved ones. We did not keep them safe in their time of need as was our duty and for that I am truly sorry."
"We have fully participated with all inspections, investigations and inquiries since July 2015 to identify what went wrong and to do everything we possibly can to stop a terrible incident such as this being repeated."
"Sheriff Williamson's findings highlight the significant improvements which have been made to our call handling systems. How we respond to 999 and 101 calls now is incomparable to how we dealt with them in 2015."
"None of these provide consolation to Lamara and John's loved ones but I can give them my assurance that lessons have been learned and that the relentless improvement of service delivery lies at the heart of everything we do."
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