A brother and sister had a lucky escape after their car crashed in heavy snow at Kinloch Laggan and ended up in an icy burn.
Their hatchback smashed through a barrier on the A86 Newtonmore to Spean Bridge road before coming to rest in the water.
The pair, from Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye, were shaken but not badly injured in the lunchtime accident yesterday.
They were treated at the scene by an ambulance crew.
Local businessman Ian Brown, who runs Quad Bike Tours and lives opposite at Camus Cillean, heard a series of crashes and raced to help rescue the woman from the vehicle.
He said: “There had been a fairly heavy dump of snow on a new section of tarmac and we had three cars go off the road within about two or three minutes of each other on the same stretch at about 1pm.
“One of the cars just slid. Another took out some of the chevron barriers.
“The last couple that came round the bend slid, went off down the bank and into the culvert where the burn goes under the road and managed somehow to land on their wheels and get out of the car with just a few knocks and bruises. They were shaken up.
“They were fortunate not to have spun the car upside down.”
He said the pair, who are thought to be in their 20s, then headed to Kingussie to launder their clothes before getting a train to continue their journey to Edinburgh.
Drivers faced challenging conditions across the north once again yesterday morning, although no serious accidents were reported.
High winds closed the Skye Bridge completely for a spell, and to high sided vehicles for much of the day. Both the Kessock and Dornoch bridges were also closed to high-sided vehicles.
Strathdearn Primary and Nursery schools near Tomatin were closed because of the wintry conditions.
The Met Office have issued a yellow weather warning covering the Highlands for further snow and ice, valid until 9am tomorrow.
A spokesman said that tomorrow should be calmer, but a further weather warning has been issued for high winds and heavy rain on Sunday and on Monday in the west.