An invesitgation is under way after three men were injured while clearing a fallen tree from a Perthshire road.
Four BEAR Scotland employees were working on the A85, near Comrie Croft, when a branch from another tree broke off and smashed into them and their vehicle.
Three of the workers were taken to Perth Royal Infirmary following the incident, which took place last Wednesday at around 8.45pm.
Two suffered minor injuries and were discharged the same day. A third suffered leg injuries and was kept in overnight. The road was closed following the incident until the tree was removed in the early hours of Thursday morning.
A spokesman for BEAR Scotland said: “Four BEAR Scotland operatives were reacting to emergency operations on the A85 between Creiff and Comrie on November 20, clearing blown trees from the carriageway.
“Unfortunately, a branch from another tree broke off and struck three operatives and damaged their vehicle.
“All three were taken to hospital as a precaution. Two were later discharged after treatment; one was kept in as a precaution and discharged the next morning. The road was cleared by 2.18am.”
The spokesman stressed that the safety of its employees was the company’s primary concern and added that it would be looking into the incident.
He said: “We are undertaking a full investigation into this incident and will discuss any possible lessons learnt with our workforce through our health and safety committee.
“Working in the trunk road environment is extremely challenging and the health and safety of our employees remains our first priority.”
A police spokeswoman confirmed that officers had assisted at the scene.
She said: “Three workmen were injured on the A85 on November 20 at 8.45pm.
“All three were taken to Perth Royal Infirmary by ambulance where, it is understood, two of the men suffered minor injuries and the other man suffered a leg injury.”
Local woman Miranda Landale was full of praise for the efforts of everyone involved. Sharing her feelings, she posted on a social networking site.
She wrote: “As always the police, ambulances and BEAR Scotland are doing a great job tonight.”