Two men were airlifted to hospital following a serious road accident near Oban yesterday.
The crash involving a 4×4 vehcile and a car took place just after 7.40am, at Achnacloich, between Connel and Taynuilt, on the A85 Oban to Perth road.
The injuries of two of the casualties involved were serious but described by police as “not life threatening”.
The road remained closed until 2.15pm. There was major disruption to morning rush hour traffic heading into Oban, with many vehicles using back roads which became heavily congested.
The 4×4 vehicle had landed precariously by the edge of Loch Etive and members of Oban Coastguard Volunteer Team were at the scene to stand by during the operation by the fire service to extricate a man who was trapped inside.
A spokesman for the fire service said: “At 7.42am on Tuesday May 30, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was alerted to a two car collision on the A85 at Connel.
“Three appliances were mobilised to the scene.
“Firefighters used specialist cutting equipment to extricate a male trapped within one vehicle before transferring him into the care of paramedics.
“Another male from the second vehicle was also transferred into the care paramedics.
“Crews left the scene after ensuring the area was made safe.”
Both men were taken by ambulance by road to the Lorn and the Islands Hospital in Oban before being airlifted by helicopter to hospital in Glasgow.
Iain MacKinnon, station officer of Oban Coastguard Volunteer Team, said: “The 4×4 had gone down the banking and was teetering on the edge of the loch.
“There was concern it would fall in and the driver was trapped in the vehicle.
“We stood by while the fire service carried out the cutting out procedure. We have water rescue capability and should anything have happened we would have entered the water.”
At around 9.30am on the same day a crash took place on the other side of Oban.
Police said they were called to a two vehicle crash on the A816 Oban to Lochgilphead road at Kilmore.
A spokeswoman said: “One woman was taken by ambulance to Oban Hospital for treatment. Injuries are not thought to be life threatening.”
Meanwhile, police have named a man who was hit by a car and killed in the early hours of Sunday morning on the A83 Tarbet to Campbeltown road at Inveraray as Karlis Reide, 28.