Ullapool lorry crash victim named by police
A LORRY driver who died in a road accident near Ullapool at the weekend has been named by police.
He was 48-year-old Steven Mitchell from Inverness.
Mr Mitchell had been driving a fuel tanker when it left the A835 around five miles south of Ullapool at Leckmelm and crashed into a rock face, bursting into flames.
The one-vehicle accident happened around 1pm on Saturday.
Mr Mitchell died at the scene.
Two Scottish Fire and Rescue Service appliances from Ullapool were mobilised to the accident, along with the heavy rescue unit and foam tender from Inverness.
Group manager Fraser Nixon, who was at the scene, said: "The first appliance in attendance from Ullapool did a remarkable job when faced with a highly challenging incident involving a fuel lorry on its side, a trapped casualty, a fuel leak and a well-developed fire not only in the vehicle but in the surrounding area.
"They worked incredibly hard to ensure the fire did not spread to other parts of the vehicle which could have escalated the incident significantly.
"Tragically the driver of the lorry died, but the crews from Ullapool and Inverness, under the guidance of Incident Commander Station Manager Alex McKinley, worked tirelessly in treacherous conditions to deal with the incident.
"SFRS personnel worked alongside our partners from Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service throughout the incident and ensured that any impact on the environment was considered through consultation with SEPA representatives."
He added: "The commitment, determination and fortitude demonstrated by all SFRS personnel at this tragic incident is a credit to themselves and their units."
Meanwhile police have appealed for anyone who witnessed the collision who hasn’t already made themselves known to police to contact officers on 101.