An island community was in shock last night after two men and a young boy were killed in a road crash.
Jamie MacTaggart, aged 10, and his father, 38-year-old Dugald MacTaggart, died when their pick-up truck and another vehicle collided on the island of Islay.
Neil MacFadyen, 47, of Port Charlotte, Islay, was also killed in the crash on Tuesday evening.
Police confirmed that the three died when their Skoda was in collision with a tipper lorry. Two other vehicles were also involved in the incident.
The 52-year-old male driver of the lorry was treated for shock, but later released from hospital.
The crash occurred on the A847, near Mr MacTaggart's parents' farm of Uisk Entuie. Both men had worked on the farm and Mr MacTaggart lived nearby with his family.
He leaves behind a wife, Fiona, along with two other young children, according to local reports.
Police said that next of kin had been informed.
Officers at the small local police station in Bowmore were assisted by colleagues drafted in from Strathclyde in response to the incident.
Paul Connelly, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue area commander for Argyll and Bute, spent the day on Islay with two colleagues, one of whom was from the fire service's chaplaincy.
He said: "It's with great sadness that I can confirm that one of the dead was a volunteer firefighter. The whole community here has been badly shaken by this tragedy."
With a population of fewer than 4000, the loss was felt deeply by the people of Islay.
Mr MacTaggart's family declined to comment, but a neighbour at Bowmore said the tragedy had left a scar on the community.
The woman, who did not wish to be named, said: "The family all live close to each other and for this to happen is a terrible shock for everybody.
"Fiona has been left with no husband and no son. She has another young daughter and son, but how she will cope I just don't know.
"I know the lorry driver is in a terrible state, but what actually happened I don't know.
"It's a clear bit of road near to the farmhouse, so they were near to home."
Police were yesterday urging witnesses of the crash to come forward and a report on the incident will be submitted to the procurator-fiscal.
The A847, one of the main thoroughfares on the island, was closed following the crash, but had reopened by last night.
The crash occurred about a mile west of one of the busiest junctions in the area, near the Bruichladdich distillery.
As Islay came to terms with the tragedy, hopes were growing for a man injured in a crash in Aberdeenshire on Wednesday evening.
One person was killed in the incident, which occurred on the A86 south of Huntly, and a man was rushed to hospital with "life-threatening" injuries.
However, Grampian Police yesterday said that the injured man was in a "serious but stable condition".
No further details were released.
Police across Scotland have warned motorists to take extra care on the roads as snow and stormy conditions are forecast for the rest of the week.
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