Date set for inquiry into vehicle recovery worker's death

An inquiry into the death of a man who was killed after a vehicle recovery lorry tipped over on top of him is to be held early next year.

Robert Garvock, 68, was operating the vehicle when he died on the B999 Pitmedden to Potterton road in Aberdeenshire in 2018.

The senior recovery operator, from Longside, was recovering a stolen van which was on its side down an embankment when the lorry tipped, causing the cab to come down on him.

A one-day fatal accident inquiry (FAI) has now been set for 28 January.

Garvock's employer Kairdson Tyres - which provided vehicle recovery services to Police Scotland - was fined £9,800 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in 2023.

The Ellon-based firm admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.

At the time, relatives said he was loved by his family and well-respected by colleagues.

Debbie Carroll, from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said that as the death happened in the course of his employment a FAI was mandatory.

FAIs are used to establish facts and see if any lessons can be learned, rather than to apportion blame.