Edinburgh head teacher leads tributes to ‘kind’ pupil after 11-year-old is killed in crash with bin lorry

Tributes paid after 11-year-old Edinburgh cyclist is killed in crash with bin lorry

Tributes have poured in after an 11-year-old Edinburgh schoolboy was killed in a crash with a bin lorry as he rode his bike.

As reported in the Evening News, the tragic incident occurred at 8.20am on Friday on Whitehouse Road, near the junction with Braehead Road. The youngster was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the lorry was not injured.

Helen Donaldson, head teacher at Cramond Primary School, said: “We are utterly devastated by the tragic news of the sudden death of one our pupils. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.

Tributes have poured in after an 11-year-old Edinburgh schoolboy was killed in a crash with a bin lorry as he rode his bike.

“He was always smiling. He was a positive, friendly and curious member of our school community. He was kind and always eager to support others, and will be greatly missed by all of us.”

Education Convener Cllr Joan Griffiths also paid tribute saying: “I am absolutely devastated to hear this tragic news and my immediate thoughts are with the pupil’s family, friends and classmates.

“My heartfelt sympathies go out to the whole school community and anyone who has been affected by what has happened. We will be providing support to pupils and all the staff at the school.”

Liberal Democrat Kevin Lang paid his respects on social media, saying his heart breaks for the boy's family and friends.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Cllr Lang said: “This is an awful tragedy and my heart breaks for the family and friends of the little boy who has lost his life so suddenly.“I know the death of someone so young and in such awful circumstances will be deeply upsetting for people right across Barnton and Cramond. I have no doubt that the strong sense of community in this area will mean people will come together and support each other, particularly the grieving family of the young boy.“We need to ensure this terrible incident is investigated fully by the police and by other authorities. It is critical that action is taken to understand what happened, and that steps are taken quickly to try and prevent such a terrible thing like this happening again.”

Police Scotland said the boy’s next of kin are being supported by specialist officers.

Inspector Andrew Thomson, of the road policing unit, said: “Our thoughts are very much with the boy’s family and friends at this time.

“Our inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances and I would urge anyone who may have information which has not yet been passed to police to get in touch.

“I would also be keen to speak to anyone who may have dashcam or private CCTV footage from the area.

“Anyone with information can call 101, quoting incident 0578 of March 1.”