The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Woman thankful as residents rush to help after crash
AFife woman has thanked village residents who gave her blankets and medical treatment after a car crash on the A91.
Lesley Paterson was driving down the main road of Gateside village at 3.30pm on Sunday when she collided with a van coming the opposite way.
The 54-year-old, who hails from Craigrothie, was knocked unconscious by the crash, waking up inside her wrecked vehicle just a few moments later.
She said: “I came to with all the glass and smoke around me.
“I tried to get out of the car but some of the local residents stopped me and said to wait for emergency services.
“The residents in Gateside were amazing.
“They came out and gave me blankets, stayed by my car.”
Lesley also thanked Ross Millar, a passer-by who gave her medical treatment while she waited for emergency services.
“He stayed beside me and basically helped to hold my face together,” she said.
“Something had sliced my face – just missed my eye – and I had a huge cut along it.
“Ross was amazing. He was so calm and almost cheery, but not in a way that you wouldn’t want.
“There were two other men – Jace Marshall and Darren Marshall – and they stopped to divert the traffic so that the emergency services could get in.”
The injured motorist, who is a nurse herself, was taken to Ninewells Hospital for surgery after the crash.
She added: “I got taken to plastic and they did a good job with my face.
“I also need to thank the staff and the doctors for all their help – they were amazing.”
Lesley is now recovering at home, however her Fiat 500L, which she only purchased four weeks before the incident, has been written off.
Police are looking into the crash.
A spokesman said: “We were made aware of a crash involving two vehicles on the A91 at Gateside around 3.45pm on Sunday December 5.
“The road was fully cleared after the vehicles were recovered around 5.35pm.”
I need to thank the doctors for all their help, they were amazing