A man has appeared in court in connection with a horror road crash which claimed the life of a young north-east woman.
Nicole Clark, 20, died in hospital after the two-car collision on the outskirts of Portsoy in November, last year.
Yesterday, Ellon man Stefan Lodge appeared in private at Peterhead Sheriff Court where he faced allegations that he had caused Miss Clark’s death through dangerous driving.
The 40-year-old made no plea and was released on bail. A follow-up court appearance has yet to be set.
The accident happened on the A98 Portsoy-Banff road just after 8pm on Friday, November 15. It involved a black Seat Leon, driven by Miss Clark, and a blue Volkswagen Golf.
At the time, police said a man and a woman who were also involved in the collision were left with potentially “life-changing” injuries.
Miss Clark, who worked at R&M Engineering in Huntly, was airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, but she died later that night.
The helicopter returned to collect the male driver of the Golf, who suffered serious injuries to his lower back.
His female passenger, believed to be in her mid-30s, was also badly injured and was taken to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin by road.
An online memorial website for Miss Clark, from Turriff, attracted thousands of hits and hundreds of comments within hours of going live.
Friends described her as “fantastic”, “one-in-a-million” and a “beautiful girl from the inside out”.