Police have apologised to the family of an 18-year-old man after they were wrongly informed that he had died in a car crash. The teenager was critically injured in the collision on the A90 near Crimond in Aberdeenshire on Monday morning, but his family were initially told that he had been killed.
The crash, which occurred between Crimond and the St Fergus gas terminal at around 7.30am, actually claimed the life of Dylan Irvine, a 19-year-old described by his family as a “loving son, brother and grandson”.
Officers at the scene said they were confronted with a “confused scene, including incorrect information provided by a witness”. The error was promptly corrected once the true identity of the victim was established, and the families involved were informed.
Chief Inspector Neil Lumsden explained that officers use a range of methods to identify crash victims, including personal effects, vehicle registration and insurance records, and information from those who can identify themselves. He said: “On this occasion, officers were faced with a confused scene, including incorrect information provided by a witness. Once identified, the error was promptly corrected and the families of those involved were spoken to and were understanding of the circumstances.”
He added: “We have apologised to the families for any unintended upset and will review to identify any learning.”
In a statement issued through police, Dylan’s family paid tribute to him, saying: “Dylan was a loving son, brother and grandson, and was loved by all that had the pleasure of knowing him. He is sorely missed by all. He had an adventurous and outgoing soul and had the biggest heart.” They also thanked emergency services for their efforts at the scene and asked for privacy during their time of grief.
