Woman airlifted to hospital after Ross-shire smash
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FIVE casualties from a two-vehicle Ross-shire road smash have been taken to hospital for treatment, police have confirmed.
The A9 at Skiach, Evanton remains completely closed in both directions and diversions are in place following a serious Road traffic collision earlier in the morning.
A total of five casualties from the two vehicles have been taken to Raigmore Hospital, Inverness.
The female passenger from one of the vehicles was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries following the 9.43am accident.
The female driver and two children from the car, and the female driver from the other vehicle, were all treated at the scene and transferred to hospital by road ambulance, Northern Constabulary said in a statement.
As reported earlier, the two-vehicle collision at the Skiach junction sparked a full-scale response from the emergency services.
Eye-witnesses reported an attendance of several ambulances, Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service tenders and police vehicles.
Traffic was diverted via the old Evanton road while a police investigation went ahead.
The accident came as wintry conditions returned to Ross-shire and the wider Highlands overnight.
The weather took its toll on a Highland Council gritter which ended up in a ditch on the A832 Rosemarkie to Cromarty road after attempting to assist a motorist in difficulty.
Up to eight inches of snow fell in places on the Black Isle.
Ian Hay, Highland Council’s local roads and community works manager, said: "We have between six and eight inches over the Black Isle and other high areas around Mid Ross.
"It’s particularly challenging on the side roads in the Black Isle and we won’t be able to get all of them cleared until this afternoon because the snow is very heavy and wet."
He said the 27-tonne gritter had stopped to assist and get past a motorist in difficulty.
Said Mr Hay: "After moving the car, when the gritter pulled away it slowly slid on the ice below the snow, into the adjacent ditch. Conditions were very poor.
"A breakdown was arranged to assist. The gritter is back on the road none the worse of the incident."
Mr Hay said it was not forecast to last. We should be clear of it by 2-3pm today (Tuesday). It’s then expected to turn cold but with temperatures rising by mid-day on Wednesday."
The Starthkanaird area, north of Ullapool, suffered a full loss of the telephone 999 emergency service on Tuesday night.
British Telecom engineers worked to restore the service by the early hours of this morning.
