A man was killed on an Angus road on Monday the third fatality in four days across Tayside and Fife.
The driver, thought to be in his 50s, died after his van careered off the road and into a field on the A933 Brechin to Arbroath route, near the Friockheim junction.
The tragedy in Angus follows an accident in Perthshire that claimed the life of 66-year-old Carnoustie haulier David Murray and a Fife crash that killed 40-year-old Gary Falconer of Coaltown of Wemyss.
Mr Murray, who was a prominent member of the community, died on Friday after his motorbike was in collision with a car on the unclassfied Kirkinch Road near Meigle.
Mr Falconer died following a one-car accident on Saturday at Clushford Toll crossroads near Cupar in which his 13-year-old step-daughter passenger and he were thrown from the vehicle by the impact.
Another three men have been seriously injured in the region since Friday.
The fatalities come just days after the Department for Transport announced a significant drop in deaths and injuries on the UK’s roads.
Figures show that 1,850 people were killed in road accidents during 2010, dropping 17% on the previous year, while the number of people seriously injured dropped by 8% and slight injury incidents fell by 6%.
The emergency services were called to the scene of Monday’s accident on the Brechin-Arbroath road around noon. Sadly, it was too late to save the driver, who had succumbed to his injuries.
Pieces of the vehicle’s bumper were strewn across the field, alongside twisted chunks of metal and one of the van’s wheels.
Fence posts had been knocked down as the van came off the road and ripped through the barbed wire before ploughing around 25 metres across the muddy surface.
Two crews from Arbroath Fire Station attended the incident near Heugh-head Farm alongside officers from Tayside Police, who sealed off the road while an accident investigation got under way.
Inspector Grant Edward confirmed the van had overturned and that the driver was already dead in the vehicle when he was first found.
He added: ”I would appeal to anyone who saw the van before the collision to get in touch.”
Although much of Angus was battered by heavy rain on Monday, the road had been dry at the time of the accident.
Diversions were put in place for the remainder of the day.
Witnesses to the accident are asked to contact police on 0300 111 2222 or speak to any officer.