The fiancée of a man killed in an Aberdeenshire horror smash has spoken of her 'indescribable' loss one year on from his tragic death.
Darren Inglis, from Mintlaw, died on January 26, 2021 after falling ill at the wheel of his Peugeot 308 on the A90 south of Newburgh.
The 29-year-old was rushed to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary but sadly passed away a short time later.
His heartbroken fiancée, Sophie Gray, has now told how losing her soulmate has spurned her on to raise money for life-saving equipment to be provided in police vehicles in a bid to save others from suffering the same fate as Darren.
Sophie, who was set to marry Darren just weeks after the incident, said: “He was one life’s good guys who was cared for and loved by everyone who knew him.
"He was known for his huge heart, generosity, contagious laugh and passion for all things car and bike related.
"His absence has left a huge hole in our lives and adjusting to life without him has been indescribable.
“I can’t thank our emergency services enough, for providing the best help they possibly could to Darren and to myself in the months that followed."
Sophie and friends of Darren have since raised more than £13,000 to provide defibrillators and torches for emergency crews in the area to deliver immediate help to those involved in accidents.
Sophie continued: “Myself and a group of friends raised the money in Darren’s honour. It is a testament to Darren and how loved and missed he is every single day.”
Throughout her fundraising efforts, Sophie was helped by Moray couple Sandra and Gordon McKandie, who founded charity Kieran's Legacy to supply live-saving defibrillators after losing their son in a crash in 2016.
The pair joined Sophie, alongside Inspector Scott Deans of North East Road Policing, who attended the scene of Darren's accident on that fateful day, to mark the handover of the equipment.
Inspector Deans added: “In January 2021, I attended a road traffic collision on the A90 north of Aberdeen whereby the sole driver, Darren Inglis, lost his life.
"This tragic event resulted in his family raising money for the emergency services, some of which has been used to supply eight new defibrillators along with head torches to aid scene examination for local Road Policing Units.
“This will bolster the defibrillators that we have to 24 units across the North policing area and will inevitably help save lives."
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