An RAF serviceman was critically injured in hospital last night after firefighters freed him from the wreck of a car in Moray.
The incident was one of a series of road crashes across the region yesterday which traffic police attended.
Emergency services attended the scene of a two-car crash on the A941 Elgin to Lossiemouth road at about 1.35pm.
The collision – between a silver Vauxhall Signum and a red Nissan Juke belonging to a Lossiemouth letting agent – occurred on the corner approaching Spynie Palace, about two miles north of Elgin.
Ten firefighters were amongst the emergency response with crews working for more than an hour to free the RAF man who was trapped in the silver car,
He was rushed to hospital in a critical condition with the woman also taken by ambulance for medical treatment.
An RAF Lossiemouth spokesman confirmed that it was an RAF servicemen involved in the crash, but could not disclose any further details.
An ambulance spokeswoman said: “Two vehicles attended a two-car road traffic collision.
“Both ambulances were from Elgin and both took patients back to Dr Gray’s Hospital.”
A fire and rescue spokesman said: “We attended a two-vehicle road traffic collision near Spynie.
“Two appliances from Elgin Fire Station attended the incident on the Elgin to Lossiemouth road.
“Crews extricated one person from a vehicle, but there was no cutting gear used.”
A police spokesman confirmed that the airman was first taken to Dr Gray’s before being transferred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmarywith “critical, but not life-threatening injuries”.
He added: “A woman is still at Dr Gray’s Hopsital just now receiving treatment for non-serious injuries.”
The road was closed in both directions for several hours while the crash site was investigated, with police officers directing traffic and diversion put in place on the B9135 route to Duffus and the B9103 Inbroom Road.
Meanwhile, a second accident involving a car and a lorry on the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road east of Lhanbryde at 2.45pm created major tailbacks for more than two hours.
The collision, involving a dark-blue Volkswagon Polo and a W.S. McArthur lorry, left westbound traffic backed-up nearly two miles to Loch Oire.
Police officers directed traffic until the car was recovered.
The Forres-based haulage truck was escorted off the trunk road by police and underwent a front tyre change at Lhanbryde.
No serious injuries were reported, police said.
Finally, at around 5pm last night, officers were called to Garmouth Road in Lhanbryde, after a moped crashed.
Police took the male driver to Dr Gray’s Hospital following the incident after he suffered a knee injury.