Police return to scientist car crash scene on A90

By FRANK URQUHART
Published on 15/03/2013 15:28

GRAMPIAN Police officers are returning to the scene of a fatal accident which claimed the lives of two prominent scientists in the search for clues about the tragedy.

Dr Stewart Rhind, 61, and Dr Julian Dawson, 42, who both worked at the Aberdeen-based James Hutton Institute, were killed last Friday in a horrific crash on the A90 Aberdeen to Dundee road near Fordoun.

They died when the car in which they were passengers collided head on with another car on the busy dual carriageway near Fordoun.

The force today revealed that the fatal accident happened when one of the cars crossed from the southbound carriageway into the northbound carriageway.

A Grampian Police spokesman said: “A week on from the fatal road traffic collision police are returning to the scene in an effort to trace witnesses and gather more information. Officers will concentrate on the local unclassified roads leading to Johnshaven and Auchenblae, where they hope their presence will jog some memories and assist them in establishing exactly what happened.”

Inspector Kevin Wallace, who is leading the investigation, said: “We know the collision took place about 4.11pm on Friday, 8 March, at Powburn, which is between Laurencekirk and Fordoun, near a fixed speed camera which monitors traffic travelling north. The unclassified junctions to the east and west are signposted for ‘Johnshaven’ and ‘Auchenblae’.

“On our arrival at the scene last week, we found a black Saab 93 estate car had crossed from the southbound carriageway into the northbound carriageway, where it collided with a northbound silver Vauxhall Astra. Two passengers in the Astra died as a result, with the two drivers sustaining serious injuries.”

He revealed:”Our enquiries have established that a dark coloured VW Golf motor car was also using the junction at the time. We have also identified a number of other motorists who were in the area and believe we still need to speak to some of these.”

Insp Wallace added: “I would ask anyone who can recall the incident or thinks they may have been on this section of road about 4.11 pm on Friday 8th March to contact us. Something you think is insignificant may prove valuable to our enquiry, so please do call us.”