Family expresses profound grief at inquiry into woman’s death by lorry

The relatives of a woman who passed away after being hit by a component of a heavy goods vehicle have conveyed their deep sorrow and distress regarding her demise to a fatal accident inquiry. Chloe Morrison, aged 26, was walking alongside her mother on a footpath close to Drumnadrochit in October 2019 when she was struck by a steel beam from the vehicle’s extended stabiliser leg. John O’Donnell, 53, the lorry driver from Inverurie, subsequently received a sentence of 100 hours of community service and a 12-month driving disqualification. During a statement presented at the inquiry in Inverness, Ms Morrison’s family communicated that even “millions words” would be insufficient “to encapsulate the impact of her death.” The victim impact assessment was authored by Ms Morrison’s parents, Robert and Karen Morrison, and her sister, Jodi Morrison-Napier. The assessment characterized her as a cherished and deeply loved daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and a friend to numerous individuals. She resided in Drumnadrochit and was employed as an early years practitioner in a nursery, a profession her family stated she was committed to and had diligently strived to attain. At the time of the incident on the A82, she had been in a relationship with her partner for three years. Within the statement, Ms Morrison’s sister detailed the profound effect her passing had on both herself and her parents. She stated: “No parent should ever have to suffer the pain of losing a child, and certainly should not witness it in such horrific and avoidable circumstance.” She added: “As Chloe’s sister, it breaks my heart seeing the pain so evident in my parents.” Her statement concluded: “I know that nothing I can ever do will heal them.” The family extended their gratitude to relatives, friends, and their local community for the assistance they had been given. The inquiry received testimony from three witnesses, among them the lorry driver, O’Donnell. The presented evidence primarily addressed the vehicle’s roadworthiness, O’Donnell’s onboarding process with his employer, and the mandatory safety inspections for operators of vehicles equipped with cranes. The inquiry was adjourned and is scheduled to reconvene next month, prior to Sheriff Ian Cruickshank issuing his determination at a subsequent time. O’Donnell, who maintained his innocence regarding Ms Morrison’s death, received his sentence at the High Court in Stirling. His preceding trial at the High Court in Inverness revealed that he had operated his lorry from Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire to Skye on October 24, 2019. He remained overnight and stated that he had lowered the lorry’s stabilising legs the subsequent day due to strong winds – despite lacking training for this action – before commencing his return trip. O’Donnell asserted that he neither extended nor manipulated the controls of the stabilisers’ outrigger beams. However, CCTV footage depicted the nearside outrigger’s yellow warning indicator, signifying it was unlocked, as he refuelled with diesel at a filling station on Skye. Furthermore, a passenger in a vehicle proceeding in the opposing direction observed the outrigger extending outwards moments before arriving at the collision site. The court was informed that Ms Morrison’s death resulted from multiple fractures.