FAI into nursery teacher's horror lorry death near Loch Ness to begin next month

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into the death of a Scots nursery teacher who was killed by a lorry is set to begin next month.Chloe Morrison, 26, died after being struck by the extended outrigger leg of a lorry being driven by John O’Donnell as she was walking along a footpath next to the A82 road at Kerrowdown, near to Drumnadrochit on October 25, 2019.Despite having been found guilty by a jury of causing Chloe’s death by careless driving after a six-day trial, O'Donnell was spared jail.

The 53-year-old, from Inverurie, was sentenced to just 100 hours of unpaid work and banned from driving for 12 months.Chloe's heartbroken dad Robert Morrison said the sentence felt like Chloe “had been killed all over again”.

Screaming out in court, Robert said: “No, no, no” at the top of his voice, and “I’m so sorry, Chloe”. A court heard O’Donnell had caused the death of “beautiful and ­sensitive” Chloe when she was struck by a steel beam sticking out from his lorry.O’Donnell was driving through Drumnadrochit, on the western shore of Loch Ness, when he failed to notice a fully extended stabiliser leg protruding from his vehicle, which had a crane attached.It struck Chloe, who was walking along the pavement with her mother, in the back.

Chloe was propelled 115ft and died after suffering multiple fractures. Judge Lord Stuart said the crime “did not warrant a custodial sentence”.A preliminary hearing has been set for April 18 at Inverness Sheriff Court.The purpose of a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) includes determining the cause of death; the circumstances in which the deaths occurred, and to establish what, if any, reasonable precautions could have been taken, and could be implemented in the future, to minimise the risk of future deaths