Calls for action to tackle danger road following tragic deaths of Inverness family; growing pleas for 'serious improvements' to the A82 after the Cousin family were killed in a crash north of Fort William
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CALLS are being made for “serious improvements” to the A82 after a young family from Inverness was killed in a crash.
Outpourings of grief for Gemma Cousin (26), Rhys Cousin (25), Peyton Cousin (3), and one-year-old Heidi Cousin, from Westhill, have turned to anger after councillors raised concerns about the suitability of the road and road surface.
Police closed the road at Torlundy, to the north of Fort William for more than 13 hours after the incident at 5.30pm on Thursday, and closed it again on Saturday to continue to look for clues about the cause of the accident.
For an hour on Sunday the road was closed to allow the extended family to lay floral tributes.
Both Mr and Mrs Cousin were former pupils of Culloden Academy.
The Cousin’s vehicle, a green Mini Cooper, was travelling homewards on the A82 at Torlundy, when the collision happened.
The other vehicle involved was a red Ford Fiesta. A 56-year-old woman who was driving suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries, and was treated at the Belford Hospital in Fort William. It is believed she is not from the local area.
A police spokesman said inquiries were ongoing, adding that no-one had been charged in connection with the incident.
A statement from the family described them as “a young family with so much to look forward to”.
The couple were married in 2015.
The statement continued: “As a young couple Gemma and Rhys worked really hard to provide a loving, secure and safe home and family life for their girls who they were totally devoted to. They were known by many with both families being extended and their loss will be felt far and wide.”
Tributes laid at the scene said “RIP to our family who are now angels”. Children’s balloons lay next to more than two dozen floral tributes.
An online fundraiser to cover funeral costs of the family has achieved £13,600.
Fundraising organiser Nikki Cartwright stated: “A tragic accident has taken them all away from us and now all that’s left are memories and photos which will be cherished forever. Nothing will fill the hole left in our hearts we are all absolutely devastated and struggling to come to terms with it.
“We also send our love and thoughts to the emergency services who had to attend the scene and thank them for everything they did to help and are continuing to do.”
The chairman of the A82 partnership, Councillor Ben Thompson said that time for substantial investment in the road was now. “When I heard about this accident, my first thought was of overwhelming grief for the friends and family of this young couple and their young children. I have children of the same age and it really is devastating news.
“But my second thought was that we have been highlighting serious and catastrophic concerns about this road for many years. Two years ago this very area was highlighted in a report as being among the most dangerous in the Highlands. We cannot sit on our hands, the time for action is now. Government needs to listen. The A82 needs serious investment to make sure it is safe.
“Spean Bridge Community Council has been warning of a major accident on this bit of the road for some time. It is absolutely devastating.”
Offering his condolences to the friends and family of the young couple, Councillor Duncan Macpherson said the state of the trunk road – the second longest in Scotland – had been largely ignored by government. “I hope that a full inquiry into the circumstances will provide the transport agencies with information to leverage essential government funding to improve this accident-strewn trunk road and prevent a repeat incident of such a devastating nature.
“I travelled from Inverness to Fort William to visit my mother exactly one week prior to this and my car aquaplaned at several spots on this road.”
Police have asked anyone who saw either vehicle involved on the road before the collision, or anyone with dashcam footage, to contact them on 101.
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