Inquiry rules city law graduate fell asleep while driving lorry

Iain Boyle was killed instantly after the artic lorry he was driving as a part-time job veered on to the wrong side of the road and collided with another lorry on the A1.

Following the inquiry, Sheriff Alistair Noble ruled that “driver fatigue” was the cause of the smash which claimed the life of the 38-year-old ex- soldier, who had been due to start a masters degree at Edinburgh University. His wife Janine Ross, 44, said that his death in July 2010 had been a “huge shock” which had left their daughter Taylor, now six, without her beloved father.

But the youngster was given a place at George Heriot’s School set aside for bereaved children in what Ms Ross believes was a “legacy” Mr Boyle was able to leave his daughter after death.

Mr Boyle had completed a three-year law degree at Napier University and was working extra driving shifts to save up for his upcoming masters in social work at Edinburgh  University.

Ms Ross, who lives in  Ruthven Place in the Inch, said: “When we met he wanted to become a lawyer. He was driving for agencies and worrying about where the next shift would come from.

“At Napier he was at college during the day and also looked after Taylor. He would drive the Friday nightshift and do driving jobs across the weekend. He then decided to study social work to work in rehabilitation for soldiers returning from service abroad. He was working to earn money to pay for it.”

She added: “It’s taken a long time to come to terms with his death. It was a huge shock to lose him like that.”

She met Mr Boyle in France while on holiday and the couple married in 2005 before moving to the Capital.

They separated in 2008 and Mr Boyle went to live in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, while continuing to help raise their daughter, who is set to start P2 at Heriot’s later this month.

Ms Ross, an architectural technician with the city council, added: “It’s a great school and Taylor loves it. She wouldn’t have been able to go there if Iain hadn’t died, so in a way it was his legacy to her. He would be so proud.”

Mr Boyle’s sister, Alison Aikman, 38, a veterinary nurse who lives in Loughborough, said her brother had visited her in the weeks before the crash and complained of tiredness.

But she added that he was a “very disciplined and competent driver” and had “simply exhausted himself”.

She said: “He had his faults but he had a real zest for life. He was a genius who could turn his hand to anything.

“We would never have believed he could have fallen asleep. He was always the one in the family you would trust to drive overnight and have complete confidence in him.”

The crash took place at around 2.47am on July 10, 2010, near Cockburnspath. The other driver, James Cain, 50, suffered  multiple injuries.

TOUGH TIMES

Many students in Scotland are struggling to make ends meet on a monthly basis, according to new research.

More than one in ten (15 per cent) of those surveyed say they do not have enough money to meet monthly outgoings, while almost half (42 per cent) say they are just managing their finances.

Almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of students in Scotland believe they will leave university with some debt, the Bank of Scotland’s student finance report found.

Nearly two in five (39 per cent) expect to finish their studies with debts of more than £10,000, though just over a fifth (21 per cent) believe they will have no debt. Worries about money have driven 58 per cent to find paid work to boost their income.