Man arrested after car flips onto side on busy Scots dual carriageway
- Rory Cassidy
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
A man has been arrested after his car flipped onto its side on a busy Scots road - causing hour-long tailbacks.
The 64-year-old was detained over a road traffic offence following the incident on Friday afternoon.
It's understood he had to be cut free from the vehicle, after it landed on its side on the A78, in Ayrshire.
He was taken to hospital for treatment to minor injuries, and a police probe into the incident remains ongoing.
The single car crash took place between the Pennyburn Roundabout and the Eglinton Interchange, between Stevenston, Kilwinning and Irvine, at around 3,15pm.
The vehicle was left facing the wrong way on the dual carriageway in question, leading to the road being closed as police officers, paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene.
Major tailbacks were caused by the road closure, plunging commuters into traffic chaos.
Traffic was backed up from the crash site all the way to Saltcoats, with it taking an hour for drivers to travel just 1 mile from Saltcoats to Stevenston.
The traffic was also backed up through Stevenston, back to the Ardeer Services petrol station in the town.
And it was also tailed back in the other direction, from the roundabout into Kilwinning, with queues stretching into the town.
Police Scotland officers on motorbikes attended some time after 4pm, and the road was closed, with traffic being diverted.
One driver said: "We were going from Irvine to Stevenston and you could see the vehicle.
"The first thing we saw was the underside of it as it had flipped over.
"It was on the other side of the carriageway, facing the wrong direction.
"There were police officers, paramedics and firemen everywhere.
"We couldn't see a driver or if anyone was okay, but it looked to be a very bad crash."
Another said: "It took me an hour to go 1 mile from Saltcoats to Stevenston.
"I was on the bypass at 4pm and got stopped halfway between Saltcoats and Stevenston.
"It was a full hour to get down to the roundabout just to turn and come back up the same road in the opposite direction.
"Police had closed the road leading up to the crash and there were officers in hi-vis uniforms who had turned up on motorbikes.
"They had blocked certain lanes and were directing traffic."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 3.15pm on Friday, 22 May, 2026, we were called to a report of a one-car crash on the A78, between the Pennyburn Roundabout and Eglinton Interchange.
"Emergency services attended and the driver, a 64-year-old man, was taken to hospital for treatment for minor injuries.
"He was arrested in connection with a road traffic offence and enquiries are ongoing."
The Scottish Ambulance Service and the Scottish Fire And Rescue Service were approached for comment.
Comments