Death of bus driver in crash being treated as murder – police

The death of a bus driver five days after a crash is being treated as murder, police said.

Gordon Stirling, 23, was injured when the single-decker Stagecoach bus he was driving collided with a white Ford Transit van in East Ayrshire.

The incident happened at about 5.30pm on August 14 on the A77 at the junction with the A719, near Kingswell.

Mr Stirling, from Crosshouse, East Ayrshire, was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow with life-threatening injuries and died five days later on August 19.

The 42-year-old driver of the Ford Transit van was also taken to hospital for treatment to serious injuries.

Police Scotland said they are now treating Mr Stirling’s death as a murder investigation but added no arrests have been made.

A spokesman said: “A fatal road traffic collision on the A77 in East Ayrshire is now being treated as a murder investigation.”

Detective Chief Inspector Jennifer McCulloch said: “Our enquiries into this incident are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.

“Our thoughts remain with the family of Gordon Stirling and we are providing them with support as investigation progresses.

“Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has dashcam footage which may assist is asked to call 101, quoting incident number 3147 of Monday, 14 August, 2023.”

Stagecoach said they were “devastated” by the news of Mr Stirling’s death.

Fiona Doherty, managing director of Stagecoach West Scotland, said: “It is with great sadness that we confirm the passing of our colleague, Gordon Stirling.

“Gordon was the driver of the service 4 bus which was involved in a road traffic incident with another vehicle on Monday August 14 on the A77.

“The whole Stagecoach team is devasted about this and we all send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. We are also supporting those colleagues at Stagecoach who knew him.

“We thank the emergency services for their response and the NHS team at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. A full investigation is under way into this incident.”