Firefighters battled for an hour to free a man left trapped in his car following a serious crash on a Moray road.
The three vehicles involved collided on the A941 Elgin to Rothes road at about 3.45pm, at the junction leading to the Longmorn whisky distillery.
All were badly damaged in the crash, which left the carriageway strewn with debris and caused extensive delays.
The injured man was driving a dark blue Renault Megane and was taken to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin by paramedics following his release from the wreckage.
A second man, who was also in the car and was described at the scene as “walking wounded” was able to make his own way out of the badly damaged car.
He too was taken to hospital as a precaution.
A police spokeswoman last night confirmed that the injuries sustained by the trapped motorist were not considered to be life-threatening.
Speyside Glenlivet councillor, Louise Laing, said that stretch of the road was not known to be hazardous.
She said: “This isn’t typically a dangerous road so it is surprising to hear about a crash this bad.”
The drivers of the two other vehicles involved – a white Mercedes SUV and blue Ford Transit van – are not understood to have been injured.
The SUV and van did, however, also sustain considerable damage.
It is understood the Renault Megane and the van were heading towards Elgin when the collision took place, while the Mercedes was driving towards Rothes.
Two ambulances were sent to the scene, alongside three fire appliances whose crews were involved in extracting the casualty.