M9 crash victim 'was confused and in pain' after three days in car
- Published
Lamara Bell was in the car for three days after it crashed with her partner John Yuill behind the wheel
A paramedic has told how a woman who was in a car which had crashed off the M9 was in pain and confused as he tried to treat her.
Lamara Bell, 25, was in the car for three days after the police failed to log a report of the crash.
Ms Bell later died of her injuries. Her partner John Yuill, 28, had already died in the accident.
Paramedic Jim Stewart was giving evidence at an inquiry into the incident near Stirling in 2015.
Mr Stewart, who was an area service manager with the Scottish Ambulance Service, told how he was sent to junction 9 eastbound of the M9 on the morning of 8 July.
The Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) heard that Mr Yuill, who had been driving the car, was clearly dead. Ms Bell had already received some attention from the fire service when Mr Stewart arrived.
In a statement he gave the next day, he said: "I established the level of consciousness from her, she was only responding to pain and could move her upper limbs."
He said Ms Bell was "writhing in pain" and told him to "leave me alone". He said she appeared borderline confused and incomprehensible.
He described her as having "raccoon eyes", a term used to describe facial bruising. Her right pupil was fully dilated and her left pupil was constricted. Mr Stewart said that gave him "a clear indication of a query base of skull fracture". He said she also had hypothermia.
Mr Stewart arranged for intravenous treatment access and then handed over Ms Bell's care to a helicopter medical team.
Ms Bell died four days later in hospital.
Not visible from road
A police sergeant later told the inquiry at Falkirk Sheriff Court that the couple's car was not visible from the roadside when she arrived at the scene on 8 July 2015 at 10:00.
Sgt Ruth Aitchison said she walked along the hard shoulder and could see a blue-coloured vehicle which was extensively accident damaged.
Sgt Aitchison said the car was facing the wrong way round, a number of trees and branches were damaged from the verge all the way down the embankment, and she could see a woman sitting in the passenger seat who was moving her head from side to side.
The inquiry before Sheriff James Williamson continues.