Police have launched a fresh appeal for information after a 26-year-old man was struck by a car on the A90 as he walked on the roadside with his bicycle.
The man, who was pushing a mountain bike alongside the busy north-east route, was hit from behind by a black Nissan Qashqai on Monday.
Police earlier described the man as a cyclist but yesterday confirmed he was walking at the time of the collision.
The Press and Journal understands the man, who was travelling south towards Rathen, may have been clipped by the wing mirror of the car.
He was airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and police initially described his injuries as “potentially life-threatening.”
He remained in hospital last night.
Police have urged anyone who may have witnessed the crash or the aftermath of the incident to come forward immediately.
Officers confirmed that they have spoken to the occupants of a Black BMW who stopped at the scene but left before officers arrived.
Sergeant Rob Warnock, from the Aberdeenshire and Moray Road Policing Unit, said: “Enquiries into the circumstances of the incident are at an early stage and I am appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident or saw the black Nissan Qashqai or the male pedestrian prior to the incident to contact the police.”
Aberdeenshire councillor and chairman of Fraserburgh and District safety group Brian Topping said: “I’m saddened to hear of another accident on this stretch of road.
“My thoughts and best wishes go out to the injured chap. We all wish him a speedy recovery.
“Now we’ve got to allow the road policing team to do their investigations to find out what the cause of this incident was, and if anything can be learned from what happened.”
The crash happened at 2.15pm three miles south of Fraserburgh on the A90.
Following the incident, paramedics treated the man at the scene until an air ambulance arrived from Inverness to take him to ARI.
Police officers initially directed traffic around the scene but later closed of a three-mile stretch of the route to allow a forensic team to carry out a crash investigation.