A 74-year-old woman has died after a horrific road accident outside a west Fife village.
The woman, who has not been named, was the passenger of a car when it left the road and hit a tree near Cairneyhill on Monday afternoon.
She passed away after being taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh with critical injuries.
A man, aged 74, who was driving the car, was also rushed to the Edinburgh hospital, where he remains in a serious condition.
The road claimed two lives last year, when Fife as a whole saw a rise in fatalities across its roads network.
In April last year, an 84-year-old male driver died after an accident west of High Valleyfield.
And a 29-year-old man was tragically killed while walking along the route east of Limekilns in November.
Meanwhile, in July this year, a 61-year-old man was seriously injured after an incident on the stretch of the A985 between Cairneyhill and Kincardine.
A Freedom of Information request by local Conservative councillor Mino Manekshaw revealed there were a total of six accidents along the whole of the A985 last year.
However, in its response to Mr Manekshaw, Police Scotland said there were no specific safety concerns about the trunk road.
“It is clear this road is currently safe and representative of the safe area in which we live and work,” said police.
In 2019 a total of 15 people, including six pedestrians, died on the region’s roads – five more than the previous year.
The number of people seriously injured also increased from 97 to 128, with the majority of incidents occurring on rural roads.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “Police Scotland can confirm that a woman has died following a serious crash on the A985 at Cairneyhill, Fife.
“The incident happened around 1.50pm on Monday October 19 when a car came off the road and struck a tree.
“A 74-year-old man, the driver, and a 74-year-old woman were taken by ambulance to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
“The woman has now sadly died and the man remains in a serious condition.
“Officers are continuing to appeal for information and anyone who was driving on the road around the time of the crash who has dash-cam footage is asked to call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 1425 of Monday, October 19, 2020.”
