A second pensioner has died following a two-car crash that killed a woman near Munlochy last month.
The tragic incident took place at the notorious B9161 Munlochy junction on the A9 Inverness to Thurso road on November 19.
Emergency services were called to the scene at 4.20pm after receiving reports of a crash between a white Nissan Pixo and red Volvo V60.
Police closed the road for several hours while collision inspectors carried out inquiries and examination to piece together what happened.
Officers have now confirmed an 88-year-old man, who was a passenger in the same vehicle and had been injured in the incident, has also died.
He died from his injuries on December 4.
Sergeant Neil MacDonald of police road policing unit, said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased.
“The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this time.”
Concerns over safety
The Munlochy junction on the A9 Inverness to Thurso road has been the subject of community meetings and consultations for a number of years due to safety concerns.
Worried residents have repeatedly pleaded for urgent improvements at the dangerous spot, after a report revealed a striking number of incidents in the last 11 years.
According to a review released in March this year, 29 crashes have been recorded on the stretch since 2010 – including one fatal accident and two in which people were left with serious injuries.
Independent investigators tasked with assessing the safety of the road found a “large number” of incidents were at the left-turn merge, where motorists were preparing to exit the B9161 and merge onto the southbound A9.
In addition, they found more than 100 motorists were forced to brake or change lanes to avoid a collision at the same location.
Now, a 40-strong “longlist” of options to improve safety on the stretch has been submitted to Transport Scotland, which also commissioned the study.
These include new speed limits, cameras, rumble strips, signs, traffic lights and an underpass.
In March, a Transport Scotland spokeswoman said engineering consultancy WSP, which was appointed to carry out the work, has been instructed to proceed with the next stage of the study and look at how the problems can be addressed.