Lorry house crash probe continues

Feb 15 2013

Investigations are continuing into what caused a coal lorry to crash into a house, killing a woman and injuring two men.

Catherine Bonner, 55, died at the scene after the large goods vehicle ploughed into the two-up, two-down property in Main Street, Fairlie, North Ayrshire, on Thursday afternoon.

A 60-year-old man, understood to be her partner, and the 54-year-old driver of the lorry were both taken to hospital with minor injuries.

One other man who was in the building at the time was evacuated unhurt.

The ground floor of the building was seriously damaged and has been deemed structurally unsound, Strathclyde Police said.

Speaking on Thursday night, Superintendent Neil Kerr, of the Ayrshire division of Strathclyde Police, said: "At about 1.50pm an articulated lorry was travelling south on the A78 in the village of Fairlie, where for some reason it has left the road and collided with the gable end of a house."

Eyewitness Steve Graham, chairman of Fairlie Community Council, described the incident as "an accident waiting to happen".

He said: "There have been a number of near misses but nothing on this scale. It is a very narrow road with premises adjacent to the road.

"We in the community council have been complaining about the weight of traffic coming through the A78 which it's not built for.

"It would not meet current standards for a trunk road."