Woman stuck in crashed car for three days dies

A woman who lay in a crashed car beside her partner for three days, despite the accident being reported days earlier to police, has died.

Lamara Bell, 25, was left critically injured when her boyfriend, John Yuill, 28, died following the crash at the M9 near Stirling last Sunday. The incident was reported to police that day, but was not followed up for 72 hours.

Ms Bell was taken to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital but has now lost her fight for life, her brother confirmed on Facebook.

Martin Bell stated: “My sister just passed away.”

Ms Bell had reportedly been placed in a medically-induced coma when she was being treated at Glasgow’s new hospital. Numerous tributes to her have been posted online. Scotland’s police chief last week apologised to the relatives of the two crash victims.

Police Scotland chief constable Stephen House admitted police had “failed both families”.

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 onto the police system 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.

Scotland’s police investigations and review commissioner (Pirc) is carrying out an independent investigation into the circumstances of the incident.