The six dead were a family of three from Dumbarton (18-year-old Erin McQuade and her grandparents, Jack and Lorraine Sweeney); two Glaswegian women, 29-year-old Stephenie Tait and 51-year-old Jacqueline Morton; and 52-year-old Gillian Ewing, originally from Edinburgh.

[9] At a meeting between representatives of Police Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), the Health and Safety Executive and others the day after the accident, it was concluded that the incident was to be treated as a road traffic accident and thus should be investigated by the police as the proper regulator (as opposed to the HSE for any offences under Health and Safety law).

[18] The inquiry further found that Clarke had subsequently lied about this medical history, both when he applied for a large goods vehicle (LGV) licence from the DVLA in Swansea and in his job application to Glasgow City Council.

[19] In August 2015 the head of the inquiry reiterated that the February 2015 decision not to file criminal charges still stood, clarifying that "this covered all aspects of Mr Clarke's driving and any false information he had given to doctors, the DVLA and Glasgow City Council about his medical history.

On giving evidence Clarke declined to answer all questions save some that dealt with his recollections of the crash, leading to some of the families walking out of the inquiry.

[6][23][24][25] The inquiry was adjourned on 28 August, with the Sheriff anticipating reporting his findings by January 2016, although this could be delayed if it were deemed it would be prejudicial to the planned private prosecution.

[16] He resigned from his post on 30 October, shortly before he was due to attend a disciplinary hearing to consider reports that he had failed to disclose issues in relation to his health.

[28] In January 2018, an investigation by SWD Media found that Glasgow City Council was still in possession of the green DAF CF 75-310 bin lorry.

[29] Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave a statement following the accident saying that her "thoughts are with everyone involved in this tragic incident, and especially with the friends and families of the six people who lost their lives in what is another sad day for Glasgow and Scotland".

[33][34] In a BBC television documentary broadcast, relatives of the victims and survivors of the incident maintained that they had been told by a Crown Office official in one to one meetings that Clarke's prior blackout happened in a canteen, instead the driving seat of a bus, and that his obesity and lack of intelligence were major factors in not charging him.

[35][36] On the day following the crash all flags on Scottish Government buildings were flown at half-mast; the Christmas lights on George Square were switched off and the attractions closed as a mark of respect.

[37] In the aftermath of the incident, media attention drew parallels with a similar previous fatalities to pedestrians in Glasgow city centre, in which two girls were killed on a 2010 Christmas shopping trip by a Range Rover that hit them on the pavement in North Hanover Street.

The case received a great deal of newspaper and television publicity when the inquiry ended in November 2014 and the bereaved families called for him to face charges.