Muir of Ord mum died of head injury, sheriff concludes
A ROSS-SHIRE takeaway restaurant delivery driver died of a head injury after her car failed to negotiate a bend and crashed into a tree, a sheriff has determined.
A fatal accident inquiry was held earlier into the death of mum-of-three Sharon Eccleson (37) from Muir of Ord.
She was delivering takeaways for the Khan Tandoori in Muir of Ord where she was employed in the evenings when her works car was involved in an accident at Dunvournie on the Black Isle on May 28 last year.
In his determination, Sheriff Walter Mercer said a wide range of investigations were made and a number of factors ruled out.
First, no pre-accident defect was found with the vehicle.
Second, toxicology analysis showed no alcohol in Mrs Eccleson’s blood or urine.
Third, mobile phone studies showed that she was not texting or phoning at the time of her death.
Fourth, Mrs Eccleson was wearing her seat belt.
The sheriff determined that Mrs Eccleson died of a head injury after her car collided with a tree.
He was satisfied that the conclusion of the police collision investigation report was well founded.
It stated that: "She has, while negotiating a right hand bend, driven on the grass verge and has reacted by steering sharply to the right. "This has resulted in a loss of control whereby the motor car crossed the carriageway and collided with a tree . . . The reason for entering the grass verge is not known, but may be due to a lapse of concentration or entering the corner at excessive speed."
The sheriff said: "It only remains for me to extend again my sympathies to Mrs Eccleson’s family at her premature death."
