A man was airlifted to hospital today after two vans careered off the road following a horror smash.
The 42-year-old had to be cut free from the wreckage of his blue and silver B-Series Mazda van after it collided with another vehicle on the A981 Fraserburgh to New Deer road near the entrance to Brucklay Castle, Maud.
Firefighters used cutting gear to remove the top of the van after the front wheels buckled and the bonnet crumpled.
The road was closed for several hours between the junctions of the A950 and the B9029 while paramedics attended and an air ambulance landed at the scene to take the rescued man to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI).
This evening police have said his condition remained “serious”.
The other casualty, who had been driving a navy Mercedes-Benz Vito van owned by Mintlaw-based joiners, Aden Contractors, escaped with minor injuries.
A spokesman for the company said he will be kept in hospital overnight as a precaution.
He added that the man had been left “shaken” by the ordeal.
At the scene of the crash, which happened around 6.10am this morning, the vehicles landed several feet from each other in a nearby field.
Debris from the Mazda was strewn across the ground, while tools and boxes from the boot had been thrown from the vehicle.
The Mercedes van also suffered extensive damage, with the bonnet crushed and the bumper ripped off.
Treadmarks from both vans were embedded in the grass.
Police re-opened the road around 12.20pm.
Local councillor Jim Ingram, who has been campaigning for safer roads following several accidents and fatalities in the Buchan area, said he had never heard of such a serious crash happening at this particular spot.
“I know of bumps and scrapes, but nothing serious like this,” he said.
“Then again, it can just take just a second for something to go wrong. Accidents can happen anywhere.
“I can only hope that both men involved make a full recovery.”
The accident comes just months after a young man died when his car careered off the nearby A950, which runs from New Pitsligo to Peterhead via Mintlaw, and landed in a field.
Local councillors said the fatal accident – one of a spate in the area over the winter period – raised serious concerns about road safety in Buchan.