A collision between a dairy tanker and a van sparked a mass emergency response in Aberdeenshire.
The accident on the A90 Aberdeen to Dundee road left the driver of the white van trapped in his badly-damaged vehicle and milk pouring out onto the carriageway.
It closed the road in both directions for hours and there was disruption on the southbound lanes throughout the evening as a police investigation and clean-up took place.
Diversion routes also came to standstill, with the gridlocked traffic on coastal and rural roads including scores of articulated lorries.
Several fire engines, police vehicles, ambulances and a trauma team all made their way to the A90, near Fordoun, shortly after 9.30am.
Firefighters had to use hydraulic cutting equipment to free the driver of the van before they could be passed into the care of medics.
He was taken to hospital by ambulance, though the extent of his injuries is unknown.
The Wiseman Dairies’ tanker was also damaged in the collision, causing a significant amount of milk to leak and pool on the carriageway.
The road was closed in both directions, causing long tailbacks, before being partially reopened northbound after two hours.
Drivers took to social media to warn of a “massive snarl-up” and advise other road users to use the coast road southbound between Stonehaven and St Cyrus.
However, traffic soon came to a standstill on the Stonehaven to Inverbervie and Arbuthnott to Inverbervie roads as drivers attempted to avoid the chaos.
A spokesman for Wiseman Dairies said: “We can confirm that one of our vehicles was involved in a road traffic incident on the A90 this morning.
“We are offering Police Scotland our full support with their investigations.”
A spokesman for the ambulance service added: “We received a call at around 9.30am to attend a road traffic collision on the A90 near Fordoun.
“We dispatched two ambulances and our trauma team to the scene.
“One man was transported to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.”
