A man is understood to be fighting for his life and two other people have suffered serious injuries following a two-car collision in Fife on Sunday afternoon.
The accident happened on the A907 in Oakley, shortly before 2.30pm and involved a Nissan Micra and a Ford Mondeo.
A man driving the Nissan was rushed by escorted ambulance to the New Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, where he was said to be in a critical condition.
A man and a woman in the other vehicle were both taken to the Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert with serious injuries, although police said their injuries are not thought to be life threatening.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service said it received numerous calls about the incident and sent “multiple resources” to assist.
They included two accident and emergency ambulances, a paramedic response unit and the Special Operations Response Team, while the Edinburgh-based Medic One, which provides care for major trauma patients who need advanced medical care at the roadside, was also called upon.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that one of the injured parties had been “medically trapped”, which means the person’s injuries, or potential injuries, rather than damage to the vehicle itself, prevented them from being moved easily.
Another casualty was said to be “physically trapped” and was removed from the vehicle by firefighters.
The A907 between Station Road and Sir George Bruce Road was closed by police as emergency services arrived on the scene.
A police investigation into the cause of the crash is also under way.
Sergeant Ewan Pearce, from Fife’s road policing unit, said: “We are investigating following a serious road traffic collision in Oakley.
“The incident happened around 2.25pm on Sunday June 11 on the A907.
“A Nissan Micra was travelling east when it was involved in a collision with a Ford Mondeo which was travelling in the other direction.
“As a result the male driver within the Nissan received serious injuries and was taken to the Royal Infirmary in a critical condition.
“The male and female occupants of the other vehicles were taken to Forth Valley Royal Hospital for treatment.
“However, their injuries are not thought to be life threatening at this time.
“Road policing officers continue to investigate at the scene and local diversions are in place.”
Sergeant Pearce also asked anyone with information about the accident to come forward.