A charity worker who died in hospital after a serious road accident near Oban was remembered yesterday as a bright and creative woman.
Catherine St Jean, 39, who lived with husband Alan Johnson, of Connel, near Oban, died in hospital after being involved in a crash near her home last Friday.
Ms St Jean worked for the Oxfam Shop in George Street, Oban, and the charities area manager Brenda Walton said yesterday the Canadian was popular in the town.
She added: “Catherine was a bright, bubbly, creative person who was very well liked by all of us here at Oxfam. She was an inspiration to those she worked with and a joy to be around.
“Catherine lead a team of volunteers in our Oban shop to raise money for Oxfam’s work and in doing so supported those facing poverty and suffering.
“She will be deeply missed by her friends and colleagues at Oxfam and our heartfelt condolences go out to her family at this sad time.”
One local woman, who did not want to be named, said: “It is very tragic. I don’t know very much about her, just that she was a very nice person and a very private person.”
Constable Stuart Campbell from Road Policing at Oban issued another appeal for witnesses yesterday.
He has asked that anyone who saw the crash around 2.05pm hours on Friday May 30 involving Ms St Jean’s Ford Ka and a Fiat 500 and has not yet come forward, to phone the non emergency number 101.
Ms St Jean was airlifted to the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow. The woman driving the other car had minor injuries.
The crash led to traffic chaos in the town, but yesterday the force pledged to devise a traffic management plan to avoid a repeat of Friday’s gridlock.
Traffic in and around Oban was brought to a standstill, and the back road between Ferryfield, Connel, and Oban was eventually closed when cars became jammed. Other vehicles attempted to negotiate the old Achavaich road, which is signposted as unsuitable for vehicles.
Inspector Julie McLeish of Oban Police Station said: “”Locals immediately began using back roads and those less familiar with the area followed them, against the advice of the police, which quickly caused congestion.
“In future we need to take control of the roads as early as possible to prevent this happening again.”
She said a contingency plan would involve one-way traffic system in and out of Oban