Widow dies after freak accident at cemetery

Published on Monday 28 July 2008 22:02

AN 83-YEAR-OLD widow was crushed to death by a runaway car outside a cemetery where she was visiting her husband's grave.

Helen Noble, a retired nurse from Alcaig on the Black Isle, died at the Urquhart burial ground on the B9163 between Conon Bridge and Culbokie about 4pm on Saturday.

The spot is just yards from the house where Mrs Noble lived for 35 years.

She had been visiting the grave of her husband, who died in 2005, when a man drove up in his car.

He got out of the vehicle passing Mrs Noble as she walked through the cemetery gates. It is believed the car rolled forward when the handbrake became disengaged and struck her.

Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service were called to the scene as it was believed Mrs Noble was trapped beneath the car, but she had been released by the time firefighters arrived.

Mrs Noble was a well-known figure locally and yesterday floral tributes had been left at the scene of the accident. A single rose and two bunches of flowers were placed at the side of the road outside the burial ground. One message read simply: "We will miss you."

One Black Isle resident, who asked not to be named, said: "This is a terrible tragedy. It sounds like quite a bizarre accident but with shocking consequences."

A Northern Constabulary spokesman said: "It was an unfortunate set of circumstances. The poor woman was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"It appears that she was on foot and she was struck by an unattended vehicle parked outside the cemetery at Alcaig."

He added that no-one had been charged in connection with the incident but inquiries were continuing. He appealed for witnesses to the accident to come forward.

Meanwhile, road safety experts called for improved measures to cut the number of accidents on Scotland's roads after a weekend in which another eight people died.

There have also been fresh appeals for the A9 Perth to Inverness road to be made a dual carriageway after a weekend crash claimed the lives of four people, including a toddler.

Neil Greig, director of the IAM Motoring Trust, said: "It is very worrying when eight people are killed in one weekend. We need to do more, particularly on the design of roads in rural areas."

Mr Greig said different layouts for roads should be considered. He suggested a three-lane system used in Norway and Sweden, comprising a dual carriageway and a single lane, would be acceptable.