By Christine Lavelle and Clare Carswell
A CRITICALLY ill heart patient had to be airlifted to hospital after the ambulance they were in crashed on black ice near to the Forth Road Bridge.
One of the crew also needed treatment for suspected neck injuries after their vehicle hit the central reservation at around 1.30pm.
The Scottish Ambulance Service refused to divulge any details of the patient’s condition or if they had sustained injury in the accident which left the carriageway closed for around 90 minutes.
However they said that calling in chopper support from Glasgow was “the best available resource” to get the patient to hospital.
Ambulance spokesman John Morton said: “The patient was being transferred from Stirling Royal Infirmary to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary when it appears to have hit black ice.
“The patient was transferred by helicopter to the ERI.”
“The helicopter was the best available resource.”
He added: “One of the ambulance crew was taken by car to the ERI with a possible neck injury but that was purely precautionary.”
The ambulance was said to have hit the central reservation at junction 1A on the M90 near to Kirkliston, North of Edinburgh.
Lothian and Borders Police said they attended the scene and were involved in the recovery of the ambulance.
A police spokesperson said: “The road was closed in both directions to allow the helicopter to land and to safely pick up the patient.
“Police are trying to get the ambulance back on the road and gritters have been called to the area.
“We are not ruling out the possibility that this accident may have been caused by icy conditions on the road, but we cannot confirm that at this time.”
The road reopened shortly before 3pm.
But it only added to the chaos endured by drivers facing breakdowns, icy conditions and the knock on effect on the M8 being closed.
It was only re-opened around 1pm after snow and ice had closed it for 45 hours.
The first westbound cars were led through the affected junctions one to five under police escort.
Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson was forced to apologise after hundreds of motorists were trapped in their cars and thousands left stranded as rail, bus and plane networks suspended in the white out conditions.
BEAR Scotland maintain the section of road involved in the ambulance accident.
A spokesperson said: “Gritters have been active on the route throughout the day.
“Despite continuous treatment over the past few days, driving conditions, as with all roads in the area, remain difficult with freezing temperatures and ice risk.
“We urge motorists to drive with extreme care and to consider if their journey is absolutely necessary.
“We continue to monitor and treat the trunk roads around the clock.”
