Death driver 'was visiting grave'

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A teenager who died after his car crashed and was then hit by a train may have been visiting his grandfather's grave, it has been revealed.

Paul Nicholl, 19, was driving his new BMW along the A95 near Keith on Tuesday night when the car left the road.

It landed upside down next to the Aberdeen to Inverness line.

Relatives said Mr Nicholl was "one in a million". His grandfather was buried on Monday and his mother said it was unusual for her son to be on that road.

It was very unusual for him to be on that road and I wonder if he had been to the cemetery Sheila NichollPaul Nicholl's mother

Apprentice joiner Mr Nicholl, from Keith, was cut free from the wreckage but was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the car appeared to have somersaulted several times after leaving the road, following a spell of heavy rain. The railway line and the A95 were both closed for several hours following the accident.

Slight damage was caused to the train, which was heading north and no passengers were injured.

'So proud'

Mr Nicholl's mother Sheila said: "He was super, I wouldn't have changed him for the world.

"He was very close to his sisters and younger brother and had a wide circle of friends who described him as one of the best friends they ever had. He was also very close to all his other relatives.

"He had been keen to get this car for some time He had only had it for three weeks and was so proud of it."

Grampian Police are investigating the accident

It was the second sadness the family endured this week, as Mrs Nicholl buried her father, Bob Legge, on Monday.

She believes Mr Nicholl may have been returning home from visiting his grandfather's grave when the accident happened.

She said: "He always came home by a different route. It was very unusual for him to be on that road and I wonder if he had been to the cemetery."

Grampian Police Inspector Ian Kirkwood said: "This was a particularly horrific crash which could have had horrendous consequences had the vehicle come to rest on the rail tracks.

"Thankfully the train made only a glancing blow to the BMW and train passengers were probably unaware of the incident."

Police have been appealing for witnesses to contact them.