The rescue of a woman seriously injured in a car accident on Harris was delayed because of heavy snow yesterday morning.
Emergency services reached the scene of the one car accident north of Tarbert shortly after it happened at around 7.40am.
But the ambulance taking the woman to hospital was delayed at the scene because it had to wait for a snow plough to clear the road to Lewis.
Her injuries were described as “serious but not life-threatening” by a police spokesman.
She was taken to the Western Isles Hospital around two hours after the accident after the road had been cleared.
The accident happened on the A859 Stornoway to Leverburgh Road near to the Clisham Pass.
Firefighters from Stornoway, Tarbert and Scalpay removed the roof of the car in order to rescue the casualty.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said that the woman had been taken to Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway and said that paramedics had provided treatment for her at the scene while snow ploughs worked to clear the road.
Elsewhere in the Western Isles a driver was been taken to hospital after his car overturned in South Uist.
Emergency crews were sent to the scene on the A865 Lochmaddy to Lochboisdale road, close to Garryheillie, just after 11am.
His 4×4 had left the road and overturned, leaving him trapped inside in wintry weather.
Firefighters from Lochboisdale and Benbecula helped to rescue the driver who was taken to Uist and Barra Hospital in Balivanich by ambulance.
A police spokesman said that he had suffered minor injuries but described his condition as “conscious and breathing”.
The wintry blast is expected to continue today, with the Met Office maintaining a yellow warning for snow and ice across the Highlands and islands.
The poor weather closed four Highland schools, giving around 150 pupils an extra day off.
And in the Western Isles, schools in Lochmaddy, Paible and Carinish were shut.
A Met Office spokesman said: “The public are advised to be aware of tricky travel conditions generally, and possible disruption to transport.”
Last night Calmac was warning of disruption to several of its services to the west coast islands and passengers are advised to check with the operator before travelling.