A female pensioner is in hospital with serious injuries following a two-vehicle collision on the A9.
The crash, involving a white Jaguar F-Pace and a navy-blue Volkswagen Jetta, happened between Alness and Evanton at the junction leading to the B9176 at around 1pm.
Both police and the ambulance service rushed to the scene that took place on the major Highland road near Skiach.
The 81-year-old male driver and 83-year-old female passenger of the Volkswagen Jetta were taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
The woman is described as being in a serious but stable condition.
The male driver and female passenger of the Jaguar car were uninjured.
Emergency services advised drivers to seek an alternate route until debris had been cleared off the road.
The road was closed for over four hours as a collision investigation took place.
The A9 was eventually reopened to drivers around 6pm.
The Scottish Ambulance Service confirmed four people had been rushed to hospital following the major crash on the Highlands Road this afternoon.
A spokesperson said: “We received a call today at 1305 hours to attend a road traffic collision on the A9 and transported four patients to Raigmore Hospital.”
Police launch investigation into serious A9 crash
Police have now launched a full investigation to establish the events leading up to the two-vehicle crash.
Motorists are being asked to review their dashcam footage to assist officers with their enquiries.
Sergeant Calum MacAulay said: “Our enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the collision and I am appealing to anyone who was on the road at the time of the incident to contact us.
“If you have dash cam, please check the footage as it could hold images which could assist our investigation.”
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