Police wrongly told teenager’s family he died in crash

Officers apologise after muddling him with different young man who was killed

The A90 near where the crash happened (Google Maps)

Police have apologised to the family of a teenager who were wrongly told he had died in a crash.

The 18-year-old was critically injured in the accident on the A90 near Crimond in Aberdeenshire on Monday, but his family were told he had been killed.

In fact it was a different young man, a 19-year-old, who died.

Police said officers were faced with a "confused scene, including incorrect information provided by a witness" and that the error was promptly corrected.

Chief Inspector Neil Lumsden said: "Officers at the scene of a crash use every avenue available to help identify those involved as quickly and accurately as possible. This includes using personal effects found at the scene.

"Officers also use various police systems to find out who is the registered keeper of a vehicle, looking at who is insured to drive the vehicle, and checking for any other information that can be found through, for example, the DVLA.

"Finally, crash investigators will also use the information gathered from those involved who are able to identify themselves and others.

"On this occasion, officers were faced with a confused scene, including incorrect information provided by a witness. Once identified, the error was promptly corrected and the families of those involved were spoken to and were understanding of the circumstances.”

He said officers had apologised to the families for any unintended upset and would review what happened to identify any lessons for the future.

In a statement, the family of Dylan Irvine, 19, who died, said he was a loving son, brother and grandson, and was loved by all that had the pleasure of knowing him, adding: "Our family would like to thank all of the emergency services for their efforts at the scene."

Additional reporting by PA

Dylan Irvine (PA)