Man airlifted to hospital after being cut free in A9 accident

closure: Diversions set up as traffic redirected cross-country

A man was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries following a horrific crash which caused major delays on the A9.

Cross-country diversions were set up and significant queues developed as emergency services worked amid the wreckage of two vehicles.

The collision involved a van and a lorry and left both severely damaged, with the driver of one trapped in his vehicle.

As fire, police and ambulance crews rushed to the scene, the A9 was closed in its entirety to let them work.

The northbound carriageway was closed north of Dunblane, near Greenloaning, by the two vehicles and emergency units.

Traffic was also cleared from the southbound carriageway to allow an air ambulance to land on the road.

Fire crews used cutting equipment to extricate the most serious casualty from his vehicle.

He was described as “conscious and breathing” throughout the operation and was swiftly handed into the care of paramedics.

The man was then airlifted to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for critical care. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service detailed its response to the accident, saying: “We received a call at 9.33am to attend a road traffic collision on the A9 near Dunblane.

“We dispatched two ambulances, the trauma team, our helimed air ambulance and a manager to the incident.

“One male patient in his thirties was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary by air ambulance.”

Diversions were put in place to direct traffic around the accident site, but queues swiftly built up in both directions.

It was two hours before the northbound carriageway could be partially reopened.

It is the latest in a string of serious accidents to take place on the A9 in recent months after a period of relatively few incidents.