Woman Who Lay Undiscovered In M9 Crash Dies

A mother who lay in a crashed car next to her dead boyfriend for three days after police failed to respond to a report of an accident has died in hospital.

Lamara Bell, 25, was critically injured in the crash off the M9 near Stirling on Sunday July 5.

But she was only found in the car on Wednesday, around 72 hours later, despite the incident having been reported to police on the day it happened.

Ms Bell was taken to Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, where she lost her fight for life shortly before 7am today.

Her boyfriend, 28-year-old John Yuill, who was a father, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

Numerous tributes to Ms Bell have been posted online and Mr Yuill's family have spoken of their devastation following news of the second death.

The case is now subject to an independent probe by the police investigations and review commissioner (Pirc), and calls are mounting for a wider review of the way Scotland's single force operates.

A statement from the Bell family requested privacy and said: "Sadly, our daughter has passed away.''

Mr Yuill's relatives said: "The family of John Yuill would like to say that their prayers and thoughts are with Lamara and her family.

"We are devastated by the sad news this morning.

"The families have messaged each other this morning and our thoughts are with John and Lamara's children at this very sad time.''

Police Scotland's Chief Constable last week apologised to the relatives of the two crash victims.

Sir Stephen House admitted that police had "failed both families''.

In a fresh statement issued today, Sir Stephen said: "On behalf of Police Scotland, we are all deeply saddened by the news of Lamara Bell's death this morning and I would personally like to express my deepest sympathies to her family and friends for their loss.

"We will continue to co-operate fully with the police investigations and review commissioner as they undertake their investigation into the circumstances of this tragic incident.''

The couple were reported missing after visiting Loch Earn, Stirlingshire, in a blue Renault Clio.

It emerged that a member of the public contacted Police Scotland at around 11.30am on Sunday July 5 to report that they could see the vehicle down an embankment near the M9 slip road at Bannockburn.

The call was answered, but "for reasons yet to be established'' it was not entered on to the police systems and no action was taken at the time.

The car was found when officers were called to the scene by another member of the public on Wednesday.

The Pirc is carrying out an independent investigation into the circumstances of the incident, under the direction of the Crown Office.

There have also been calls from some politicians for a wider inquiry into the operation of the force in light of the incident.

Questions have been raised about whether the case stemmed from an individual error or was linked to systemic problems at Police Scotland, which was centralised into a single force in April 2013.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has said the case for a wider probe was becoming "unanswerable''.

The MSP said workload pressure on the police service has been "immense'' since the reorganisation of the service - a move which included the centralisation of police control rooms.

Paying tribute to Ms Bell, Mr Rennie said: "Her father's bedside singing and her family's publicly expressed anguish were clear manifestations of the love they felt for Lamara.

"We all feel terribly sad that her life has ended and in this awful way. Whilst her family and friends grieve for Lamara, it is now our duty to find the answers that everyone is seeking.''

The Scottish Conservatives' justice spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell said: "The second death in relation to this incident really increases the pressure on Police Scotland and the Scottish Government.

"They both assured the public the 101 number was working well and there was nothing to worry about, despite police officers telling a different story. This tragic incident proves that not to be the case.''

Scottish Labour's justice spokeswoman Elaine Murray said Ms Bell's death reinforces the need for an "urgent, full and wide-ranging inquiry'' by the Pirc.

"We need to get to the bottom of why it took police more than 72 hours to respond to an emergency call,'' she said.

"This inquiry must look not just at what went wrong in this specific case, but also assess wider issues like the impact of cuts to services on the ability of the police do their job properly.''