Police have staged a reconstruction of the Dundee road tragedy that claimed the life of schoolboy Danny Leech.
Officers attended the junction at Arbroath Road and Albert Street on Monday morning, from 11am until around 12.30pm, as part of their investigation into the events leading up to the seven-year-old’s death.
Danny’s brother John and mum Linda were at the scene.
‘I’ve had to shut off’
The youngster died on September 8, 1989, after being struck by a lorry as he crossed the road.
The HGV, driven by Colin Nicoll for Lairds Trucking of Forfar, had been making a left turn from Albert Street on to Arbroath Road when the fatal incident occurred.
The reconstruction is part of a fresh probe led by senior road policing officers from Glasgow.
They assessed traffic patterns, potential visual impediments for both pedestrian and driver, and the lorry’s turn.
Linda says the reconstruction was one of the hardest things she has had to witness.
She told us: “I knew the reconstruction was coming but I have heard a lot of things I didn’t want to hear about Danny’s injuries.
“I’ve just had to shut off. I didn’t want to hear the bad things.
“This all feels different somehow, to see the accident reconstructed.
“I don’t understand why the police didn’t do this [in 1989].
“They just weren’t interested.”
Official narrative questioned
Danny’s family, critical of the original police investigation, believe the reconstruction is a significant moment in their efforts to challenge the official narrative that it was an accident caused by the schoolboy’s recklessness.
Mr Nicoll has never been charged with any offence and was allowed by the investigating officer to drive his lorry away from the scene.
The road was reopened half an hour after the tragedy.
Earlier this month an eyewitness to Danny’s death broke more than three decades of silence in an interview with The Courier.
Her version of events backs up the family’s own investigations.
On Monday, John, who has campaigned for his brother’s tragic death to be reinvestigated, added: “It hits hard watching this and to think it could’ve been avoided.
“The original investigation missed so much.
“Watching this reconstruction, it’s clear that back in 1989 things were mishandled.
“The police are finally doing what should have been done then.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Following information received on Friday, 14 June, 2024, an independent review is now underway to assess that information.
“Today a reconstruction was carried out at the scene of the collision as part of that.”
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