A devastated family have revealed that the victim of an Angus road smash is their third son to be lost in tragic circumstances in just 15 years.
Frazer Clark died on Monday afternoon when the BMW he was travelling in left the road on the outskirts of Brechin and struck a tree.
Mr Clark was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which happened near the A935’s junction with Drumachlie Loan around 3pm.
His distraught brother, Richard Deane, revealed how family members living just hundreds of yards from the scene of the accident rushed there when they learned of the tragedy.
He said his 63-year-old mother, Glenda, was “heartbroken” .
“She has lost three sons, it’s terrible and we just don’t know what to do, there’s nothing anyone can do for her,” said Mr Deane.
No mother should have to lose three sons…
The family was struck by tragedy in 2002 when the body of 22-year-old Wayne Deane was found in local woods, followed by the loss of his brother, Jamie, in unexplained circumstances at the age of just 25.
Mr Deane said the close-knit family was shattered by their loss.
“We’ve never stayed more than about a quarter of a mile from each other, we were basically at each other’s houses every day.
“We don’t know yet exactly what happened but we went out there when we heard about it. A man from the abattoir had tried to save Frazer and when we got out there we just knew it was him.”
Emergency services rushed past Mrs Deane’s house on their way to the crash scene, just a few hundred yards from her home in Montrose Street.
“She would have heard the sirens going along the road, but wouldn’t have thought it would be anything to do with Frazer,” added Richard.
Mr Deane said his brother worked for himself, dealing in cars and bikes.
Mr Clark, also known as Deane, had a partner and a one-year-old daughter.
“He didn’t smoke, he didn’t drink or take drugs, nothing,” said his distraught brother.
“No mother should have to lose three sons, I don’t know what she will do — she will die of a broken heart.”
The road remained closed for almost five hours as police carried out a full investigation into the circumstances of the crash.
Police have appealed for any witnesses to contact them on 101 or via any officer.
Mr Clark is the fourth fatal crash victim in the area in less than a month.
On August 12, 31-year-old Scott Mowatt and Paisley Bates, 26, both from Arbroath, died after their Vauxhall Astra struck a wall and plunged down an embankment on the A937 Montrose to Laurencekirk road near Marykirk in a late night crash.
Just over a week later, north-east motorcyclist Douglas Lawie, 47, from Inverurie lost his life when his machine was involved in a collision with a BMW 1-series on the A92 north of Inverkeilor.