By Alan Richardson

A HORRIFIC Highland Perthshire accident caused the A9 north of Pitlochry to be shut completely for several hours yesterday afternoon.

Three casualties had to be rushed to Ninewells Hospital—one by air ambulance—after the head-on collision at 4.30pm between the Killiecrankie and Bruar junctions.

The conditions and identities of the three were not being made public last night, although it is known at least two are female, but it is understood all suffered serious injuries.

Emergency service vehicles from across Tayside raced to the scene including ambulances from Perth and Pitlochry, fire engines from Pitlochry and Dunkeld, the medical trauma team from Ninewells and local police.

The air ambulance was also scrambled due to the remoteness of the area and the seriousness of the incident.

The road was immediately shut in both directions, with heavy vehicles ordered to queue and others diverted through Blair Atholl and Killiecrankie.

Fire crews used cutting equipment remove the doors and roof of one car, a Fiat, and free two victims inside, while the third motorist was freed from the other vehicle involved, a Ford Focus.

After almost two hours, police began to let queuing lorries through, although the diversions remained in place for other traffic.

One passer-by who saw the aftermath of the accident said, “It was a hell of a mess and I can’t believe people could come out of it alive.”

The accident, on a single carriageway sweeping right hand bend around three miles south of Bruar, is bound to increase the clamour for full dualling of the A9 stretch between Perth and Inverness.

Critics of the road’s lay-out say such bends are a massive contributory factor to many accidents on the notorious road—named the most dangerous in Scotland after a Scottish Executive study last year.

Although the Executive has staunchly refused to commit to a dualling scheme, a recent transport review suggested it has not been written off completely and will be studied.