A fatal accident inquiry into the death of a lorry driver at a notorious A9 blackspot gets underway at Wick Sheriff Court today.
Bruce Cormack was killed after his HGV left the Inverness to Thurso road at the southern Berriedale Braes after 11pm on September 18 last year.
It is understood that the articulated lorry was descending the steep southern hill at the braes between Helmsdale and Dunbeath when the accident happened.
He was transporting fertiliser from Invergordon north to Caithness.
The 41-year-old was driving for W.D. Cormack and Sons, the Caithness-based family firm of which he was a business partner.
A notice issued on behalf of Liam Murphy, procurator fiscal for the north of Scotland, confirmed that the inquiry will be held in Wick “into the circumstances of the death” of Mr Cormack.
Mr Cormack lived at Durran near Castletown and is survived by his wife Lynn, his son Scott, and parents Sandy and Jane.
The crash caused the Scottish independence referendum count for the Highlands on the same evening to be delayed because the A9 was closed.
A van carrying 28 ballot boxes from Caithness had to take a lengthy detour via Melvich to reach the count centre in Dingwall.
The Berriedale Braes have been the scene of a number of accidents in recent years.
The A9 drops from 492ft to just 65ft as it enters a steep-sided valley and drivers have to contend with gradients as much as 13%.
The southern brae where Mr Cormack’s accident happened is so steep that a gravel-filled escape lane has been built alongside the road for truckers to use if they get into difficulty on the descent.
The road is subject to plans to alter the layout to make it safer, but in August this year, the Scottish Government confirmed that the plans could be delayed for up to 18 months because of objections.