An elderly driver who killed a three-year boy after crashing into a shop may have been suffering from undiagnosed dementia, an inquiry has heard.Xander Irvine died after he was hit by a red Kia car while walking with his mother, Victoria, on Morningside Road, Edinburgh, on June 30 2020, a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) at the city’s sheriff court heard.
The car was driven by Edith Duncan, 91, who accelerated as she performed a U-turn close to a crossing, in a statement of agreed evidence.Miss Duncan had cancelled her car insurance in March 2020 as she “only drove once a week and didn’t want to pay for it”, the inquiry heard.
Xander died in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children from “multiple injuries”, while Miss Duncan, who was facing prosecution, died a year later.The inquiry will seek to establish if anything could be done to prevent a similar tragedy.
After the crash, grieving parents Mrs Irvine and husband Paul described their son as “a chatterbox” and a “happy, bubbly, intelligent little boy”.In 2019, Miss Duncan had ploughed into a parked car in a supermarket car park, damaging the vehicle and causing injuries to the man inside, which was dealt with by insurance after she admitted fault, the court heard.
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