A lucky driver survived his vehicle being crushed by a lorry in an Angus crash on Wednesday.
He managed to get out of his cab and walk away – despite the lorry landing on top of his van.
A full-scale emergency response was immediately scrambled to the accident which happened on the A937 at Hillside, near Montrose.
Multiple police vehicles and an ambulance were joined by three fire appliances from Arbroath, Laurencekirk and Montrose, along with a special appliance from Macalpine Road in Dundee, when the alarm was raised at around 11.15am.
The lorry driver was trapped inside his vehicle and firefighters cut him free from the wreckage.
He was passed into the care of the ambulance service on a spinal long board.
He was said to be conscious and breathing throughout his ordeal. He was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee after suffering minor injuries.
The road was closed for several hours while the vehicles were removed and local diversions were put in place.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “Operations control mobilised four fire engines to the town’s A937, where firefighters were met by an incident involving a lorry and a van.
“Firefighters used specialist cutting gear to help remove one casualty from the lorry before transferring him into the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service.
“He was thereafter transported to Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital. Crews worked with their partners to make the area safe before leaving the scene.”
The Asco Group HGV toppled over on to the oncoming Concept Group van, which was wrecked.
A Police Scotland spokesman said a rail bridge was initially struck.
He said the driver of the lorry suffered non life-threatening injuries as a result of the crash.
Train services were not affected by the accident.
However, the Stagecoach 47 Montrose bus was unable to serve Hillside or Dubton while the road was closed.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “We received a call at 11.14 hours to attend an incident on the A937 in Hillside.
“We dispatched one ambulance and a manager to the scene.
“We transported one patient to hospital.”
