A man was taken to hospital after he was hit by a taxi in an accident in the early hours of yesterday morning in Elgin.
The 47-year-old pedestrian was involved in a collision with a white Skoda Octavia on Linkwood Way just before 3.40am.
Police said the injured man was taken to Dr Grays Hospital after the incident, which happened near the McDonald’s fast-food restaurant.
His condition is believed to be serious. A police accident team were at the scene later yesterday morning carrying out collision investigations.
The probe meant that a stretch of the A96 Inverness to Aberdeen road at the Linkwood Industrial Estate was cordoned off for most of the day.
However, local diversions were put in place to allow traffic to keep moving.
The driver of the vehicle is licensed to Elgin-based taxi firm A1 cabs, which operates from an office on East High Street.
The firm declined to make any official comment following the incident.
But the taxi driver involved was said to have been left “very shaken up”, according to a company source.
The last public bus from Elgin to Aberdeen leaves the Moray capital before 10pm, and the last service along the coast through Buckie from Elgin to Macduff departs at 10.45pm.
With popular weekend nightspots such as Joanna’s in the town-centre open until 3am, the demand for taxis remains high into the early hours, so pedestrians can commonly be seen walking home on foot.
However, it is not known if the pedestrian involved in the accident had been drinking or if he had attended the nightclub.
Officers yesterday appealed for anyone who may have witnessed the collision to contact them on Crimestoppers anonymously.
A police spokesman said: “If anyone saw the collision or has any information that could assist officers with their enquiries, they are asked to call 101.”
Elgin ward councillor Patsy Gowans last night said: “We have all walked home after a night out, and I think when we are on a night out we don’t often think about safety — especially the safety of ourselves.
“It sounds like a tragic accident, and my thoughts are with the family of the gentleman in hospital.
“Sometimes we don’t think of the driver in an accident like that, but he must have got an awful shock as well.
“I hope the person who suffered the injuries recovers, and my thoughts are with everyone involved in the incident at this time.”