A man was in a life-threatening condition and another seriously injured after a horrific four-car crash last night.
Four ambulances, three fire engines and dozens of police officers raced to the scene of the smash on the A96 Aberdeen to Inverurie road at about 5pm.
The crash happened at the junction near Marshall Trailers, with police forced to close off the road in both directions for two hours as paramedics tended to the injured.
The critically-injured man was cut out the wreckage of his car by 13 firefighters, and treated at the scene before being taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Another man was also seriously hurt and was taken to the hospital, along with two others who were treated for minor injuries.
Rush-hour traffic backed up all the way towards Bucksburn until police managed to set up a contra-flow on the eastbound carriageway of the A96.
The westbound carriageway was closed for several hours while collision inspectors examined the scene to piece together what happened.
The accident involved a red Vauxhall Corsa and black Vauxhall Astra, and two other cars.
Meanwhile, a schoolboy was taken to hospital yesterday morning after being hit by a car in Aberdeen.
The 10-year-old is believed to have broken his leg and suffered a head injury in the accident, which happened on Don Street, close to Hayton Road, just after 8am.
The road was closed for around an hour while emergency services attended the scene.
An ambulance spokesman said: “We received an emergency call at 8.20am.
“A paramedic response unit and a local ambulance crew attended and the 10-year-old child was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary with serious leg injuries.”