Woman killed in car rally crash

A woman died and a young boy was injured when a car collided with spectators during a rally.

Joy Robson, 50, from the Isle of Skye, was killed in the incident at the Highland Car Club Snowman Rally on Saturday, in Glenurquhart Forest near Loch Ness, in the Scottish Highlands.

An eight-year-old boy was also injured and taken to Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, but his injuries were not thought to be life-threatening. A third injured person was described by police as "walking wounded".

Neither the driver nor the co-driver of the vehicle was injured, and no other spectators were hurt, Northern Constabulary said.

Witness Kyle Reid, 21, from Inverness, helped other spectators lift the car off the pair, The Sun Sunday said. "It tipped on its side and careered into a tree where a man was with his two kids and an older woman were standing," he said.

"The car wiped out the tree and the impact must have righted it. But the woman and the boy were trapped underneath. There was loads of screaming and we rushed over to try to lift the car off the woman and the wee boy."

The rally was abandoned after the collision during the first stage of the 2013 Scottish Rally Championship.

Dave Robson, chairman of the Scottish Rally Championship, said after the incident: "The management committee, competitors and officials of the SRC extend their condolences to the families of those involved in today's incident on Special Stage One of the Snowman Rally. We offer our committed support to Highland Car Club and all those affected at this difficult time."

A statement from Highland Car Club said: "The club extends its sympathies to the families of those involved."

Officers will carry out a full road collision investigation and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.