A TALENTED schoolgirl died after being hit by a car as she crossed the busy A9 just yards from her home.
Hollie Mackay stepped off a bus seconds before the accident on the Inverness-Thurso stretch of the trunk road.
Fellow pupils at Invergordon Academy were offered counselling and support yesterday as they struggled to come to terms with the 15-year-old’s death.
Special assemblies were also held at the 430-pupil school where Hollie was a fourth-year student.
She was taken by ambulance to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness after she was knocked down by a Suzuki Grand Vitara 4×4 close to the Shandwick Inn at Kildary.
Police are appealing for witnesses to the evening rush-hour accident.
Hollie had been at an after-school drama class and it is understood she had just got off a bus on the northbound side of the A9 and was crossing the road to her nearby home when she was hit by the 4×4.
She lived with her parents, Saunders and Jean Mackay, and her younger sister, Alix at Mackays Cottage, Balachraggan, Kildary.
Hollie’s grandfather visited the accident site yesterday morning, but said he did not want to speak about what had happened.
Invergordon Academy acting head, Alison Drew, described the teenager as a “very talented and able young girl”.
She added that special assemblies were held at the school yesterday morning and rooms were set aside for pupils to get counselling and support from staff and volunteers.
Ms Drew said: “Hollie was a popular and thoughtful member of our close-knit school community.
“She was a talented musician, a keen skier and drama was one of her real passions.
“She was a key player in the Invergordon Youth Theatre and also attended drama activities at Eden Court.”
She added that Hollie represented the school in plays, musical performances, sports and other events. Ms Drew said: “She had taken part in an after-school drama session immediately before the accident.
“She was an outstanding pupil, who was popular with her friends and highly regarded by school staff.
“She will be greatly missed by all of us. Our thoughts are with her family and friends.”
Councillor Alasdair Rhind, who represents Tain and Easter Ross and knows the family, said they were “stunned with grief”.
He said: “They are a very caring and loving family and this has been a great shock for them. It is so, so sad that they are going through such grief.
“The community will be very supportive to them at this very difficult time.”
The A9 was closed between the Kildary junction and Nigg Roundabout for almost five hours following the accident, which happened shortly before 5.30pm on Wednesday .
A police spokesman yesterday said: “As a result of the collision, a teenage girl suffered serious injuries and was taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness by ambulance where, later in the evening, she sadly died.”
Hollie’s funeral will be held at Logie Easter Parish Church on Thursday, November 7 at 11.30am. This will be followed by a private cremation. The family have asked mourners to make donations in lieu of flowers to Feis Rois and Soar Youth Projects.