Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey area roads and community works manager Iain Wallace suffered head and leg injuries on Thursday night when his silver Volkswagen Passat estate car was involved in a collision with a lorry trailer on the south-bound dual carriageway section near the Slochd summit.

Mr Wallace was removed from the vehicle by firemen using a spinal board, and taken by road ambulance to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

Councillors queued up to wish him well following the accident.

Local member Dave Fallows said: "We all hope Iain makes a full and speedy recovery, both from a personal viewpoint and from an operational level. He's an integral part of the workings of the roads department."

Aird and Loch Ness Councillor Drew Hendry said: "Iain has taken a bit of a battering from the accident but he has been well enough to express thanks to all the people who have wished him well.

"Thankfully he seems to be on the mend, and all councillors and council staff hope he makes a quick recovery."

An investigation is being carried out into the accident, which involved a trailer owned by Munro and Sons (Highland).

Earlier this year, the Alness-based contractor was fined £3,750 for breaching health and safety rules after a woman was killed when a runaway digger crushed the car in which she was travelling. Beauty consultant Christina Fraser (24), of Arabella, near Tain, was killed after a 30-tonne loader rolled off a transporter and hit the car she was a passenger in on the A9 near Invergordon in 2006.

Mr Wallace was taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness after Thursday's crash.

Police are investigating whether the lorry's trailer, which was carrying a large waste container, became detached and hit Mr Wallace's car.

A council spokeswoman confirmed Mr Wallace was injured in the accident.

She added: "We can't say any more because it is in the hands of the police."

As the paper went to press, a spokesman for the hospital said Mr Wallace was: "Recovering well."

In 2004 his son Andrew Wallace – one of the country's top motorcycle road racers – died in a pile-up while competing for the first time at the Ulster Grand Prix in County Antrim.

He was the 32nd rider to lose his life in the 82-year history of the Ulster event.

He had previously been clocked as the fifth quickest Scot in history at the TT Races on the Isle of Man.

* A man was released from the wreckage of a car which came off the A9 and crashed at Ralia on Friday by firemen using cutting gear. He was taken by road ambulance to Raigmore Hospital.

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