Mother left for three days in crashed car 'was still conscious when rescuers arrived'

A young mother who lay injured and trapped in a crashed car next to her boyfriend who had died in the smash was still conscious when rescuers eventually arrived three days later, her brother has revealed.

Mother-of-two Lamara Bell, aged 25, was critically injured when the car veered off the M9 in Stirlingshire, Scotland, on July 5, killing her partner John Yuill, 28.

Help did not arrive for another 72 hours as police ignored an initial call to report the accident. She died in hospital four days later.

In a post on Facebook, her brother Martin said an investigation by traffic police had revealed she was conscious and able to speak when they found her - though she was hallucinating and thought she had only been in the vehicle for around 20 minutes.

She had been trying to escape, he added - and even swore at a firefighter.

After the case came to light, Scottish Justice Secretary Michael Matheson ordered a review of all police call handling, and the Police Investigations and Review Commission is carrying out an independent inquiry.

A Police Scotland spokesman confirmed the investigation had concluded.