The organiser of a fundraiser in memory of teenager Craig Melville, who died in a car crash at the weekend, says she has been “overwhelmed” by the response.
Craig, 16, from Alness, died after the Audi RS4 in which he was a back-seat passenger lost control and hit a wall on the B9176 Struie Road on Saturday.
Lifelong friend Sophie Dickson started the gofundme page with Craig’s cousin Shannon Daw, initially hoping to raise £500 for Craig’s family.
By Wednesday afternoon nearly 150 people had donated more than £4,500 and a new target of £5,000 had been set.
Ms Dickson, 17, said she wanted to help the family.
“On March 27 tragedy struck and flipped their worlds upside down,” she said.
“Wee Craig, as everyone knows him, has sadly passed away and will be dearly missed.
“We are raising money to help them through this awful time.”
She added: “We were thinking what we could do to help the family further, other than sending flowers.
“We set the target at £500, but already it’s over £4,000. The amount of support we’ve had has just been overwhelming.
“We’ve had loads of messages from people asking to keep it going for a few weeks because they still want to put money in.
“The numbers are climbing every hour. It’s been unreal and it’s definitely helped his mum, who has been overwhelmed by all the messages.”
Ms Dickson said her friend was “was very cheerful, full of energy and a massive comedian”.
“He was always up to no good to get everybody to laugh,” she added.
Following the accident, near the Fyrish substation junction, a 39-year-old man, 15-year-old girl and 22-year-old woman were also taken to hospital.
Police appealed for witnesses to come forward and in particular asked any motorists to check dash cam footage which may help the investigation.
Craig’s devastated family described him as “a loving son, grandson, boyfriend, nephew, cousin”.
He was a former student of Alness Academy and left in May last year.
Tributes were paid by the school’s head teacher and also the owner of Dornoch MOT Centre, where Craig worked.
The Highland Council’s education and learning team provided support for staff and students at the school, including educational psychologists.
