Fatal crash: Community in mourning for three young lives lost

A CLOSE-knit community was in mourning today after the "shocking and tragic" deaths of three young people – including two sisters – in a car crash.

They were killed when the Citroen Saxo they were travelling in was in a head-on collision with a Renault van in Aberdeenshire last night.

Grampian Police have not yet confirmed their identities, but they have been named locally as driver Mark Gardiner, 22, and sisters Rachel and Elena Putnam, who were 20 and 18.

All three were from the seaside town of Cullen.

Mr Gardiner was understood to be Rachel Putnam's boyfriend.

Grampian Police said today that the latest fatal crash – the third in the area in just six days – marked "one of the blackest weeks".

Elena and Rachel, who are understood to have been students, were described by neighbours as "bright and beautiful".

Mr Gardiner, who worked at sea, was said to be "the nicest boy you could hope to meet".

His family was too upset to speak today, but others who knew him offered tributes.

Alex Legge, a newsagent in Cullen who employed Mr Gardiner as a paper boy, said he was "a very likeable lad".

He said: "Mark was very hard-working, and one of the few lads to come and see me and say hello outside work.

"He was just a very likeable lad, the nicest boy you could hope to meet really, and full of concern for others – not big-headed at all.

"They all grew up here and this is all anybody can talk about today, nobody can believe it.

"This is such a tight-knit community, but I suppose that means people can turn to each other too."

The family of Elena and Rachel were not at home today, but neighbours described them as "very close and loving".

One woman said: "They were so bright and beautiful, really intelligent girls – it's so hard to believe they're gone."

The deaths follow two fatal road accidents in the Grampian area last week, which happened within five hours of each other.

Dental nurse Dana-Leigh Trigger died following a one-car accident near Banchory last Wednesday.

Earlier the same day, philanthropist Lynn Wilson, from Northamptonshire, was killed when his 4x4 vehicle was involved in a crash on the A96 near Forres.

Police said the latest accident happened on the B9022 between Gordonstown and Portstoy at 6.20pm yesterday.

Superintendent Harry Thorburn said: "This was a shocking and tragic event which will have a deep and lasting impact on the families of those involved.

"We are deeply saddened that our officers have had to deal with three fatal road traffic collisions in just one week.

"This has been one of the blackest weeks on roads in the Grampian Police area for a long time and we feel very much for the families of the three young people who have died in this latest collision, as we do for the families of the three people who died earlier in the week."

Scottish Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said his sympathies were with the victims' families.

He added that the accident record on Scotland's roads was "simply unacceptable".

Mr Stevenson said 282 people were killed on Scotland's roads last year and that an expert safety forum made up of police, the Institute of Advanced Motorists, psychologists and others had been set up to tackle the issue.

The minister, who lives just four miles from last night's crash scene and is the local MSP, said: "We certainly need to make sure that people who have just passed their test build their experience up, gain an understanding of road conditions."

In yesterday's crash, Mr Gardiner and one female passenger died at the crash scene.

The other female passenger was airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where she later died.

The two men injured in the Renault van were the 44-year-old driver and the front seat passenger, a 46-year-old man.

Three fire engines and around 15 firefighters attended and specialist cutting equipment was used to free one person, Grampian Fire and Rescue Service said.

The road was closed for nine hours while investigations took place.