Drivers escape injury as lorry is blown over on busy north-east road

Two drivers escaped serious injury when a truck was blown over on one of the north-east’s busiest roads and was then hit by a car.

A Caledonian Logistics-operated lorry – which was empty at the time – toppled on the A96 Aberdeen-Inverness road, just south of Huntly close to Battlehill.

Police, fire and ambulance crews were called to the scene around 7.30am.

The road was closed for a number of hours as recovery teams righted the truck, which was under contract to Walkers Shortbread.

Derek Mitchell, the managing director of Caledonian Logistics, drove all the way to the site from his home at Udny Green to make sure his driver ok after his ordeal.

Mr Mitchell said: “I took him back to his house, but he had to go to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

“He’s ok, walking wounded, with a lot of cuts and bruises, so he’s getting some stitches.

“Unfortunately he was running with an empty trailer, heading towards Elgin, and the rear end of the trailer lifted up and that was it – he was pushed over.

Both he and the driver of the car had an extremely lucky escape, it could have been way worse.”