A 30-year-old woman who is fighting for her life following a three-vehicle crash in Hamilton is a doctor who was driving home following a nightshift, the Herald understands.

The woman, who has not yet been named publicly, was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow following the collision on Monday morning.

Her condition has been described as critical, and police have appealed for witnesses.

Dr Chris Deighan, executive medical director at NHS Lanarkshire, said:  “We were saddened and most concerned to hear the news that a member of our staff had been involved in a serious accident.

“Our thoughts and those of colleagues are with our member of staff and their family at this time.

“In the interests of confidentiality, it would be inappropriate to offer any further comment until the full circumstances of the incident are known.”

The incident involving a white Mercedes van, a green Kia Picanto and a white Hyundai Kona occurred at 10.20am on the A725 in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire.

The doctor, who was driving the Kia Picanto, sustained serious injuries, while the van driver was uninjured.

The driver of the Hyundai Kona was taken to University Hospital Wishaw but later discharged.

Sergeant Andrew Coutts, of Police Scotland's Road Policing Unit, has appealed to any motorists who may have dashcam footage of the collision to come forward.

He said: "Whilst a number of people have come forward with information about the crash, we are still keen to hear from anyone else who witnessed what happened, or who may have dashcam footage of the incident.

“Details can be passed to officers via 101. Please quote reference number 0854 of Monday, 27 November 2023 when calling.”

Following the incident sources from within the medical profession told the Herald that the incident had "echoes of the Lauren Connelly case" amid suggestions that the medic - a registrar at University Hospital Hairmyres in East Kilbride - had been unable to have proper rest breaks during her shift.

A source told the Herald that the medic "was driving home from a nightshift where proper breaks were not obtainable".

BMA Scotland, the trade union and professional body for doctors and medical students in the UK, also confirmed it had been contacted by members on Tuesday morning flagging concerns.

However, the family of the doctor involved in the incident contacted the Herald to state that there was "no issue with breaks" and that she had been "innocently caught up in the crash which was the fault of others". 

Police investigations are ongoing.

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Campaigners have lobbied to improve working hours and rest breaks for junior doctors following the case of 23-year-old Lauren Connelly, a junior doctor from East Kilbride who was just seven weeks into her medical training in September 2011 when she died while driving home after her fourth consecutive 12-hour nightshift at Inverclyde Royal Hospital in Greenock.

It is thought that she may have fallen asleep at the wheel, causing her car to veer off the M8 motorway into an embankment near Bishopton.

Her father, Brian Connelly, who has also campaigned for stricter working hour limits, said his daughter frequently worked exhausting 100-hour weeks and shift patterns of 12 consecutive days.

Under current rules agreed between the Scottish Government and BMA, no junior doctor in Scotland should work more than five hours without a break. 

Junior doctors working beyond nine hours and up to 13 hours should get a second 30-minute break, and a third if the shift is 13-14 hours. 

The majority of rotas for junior doctors now follow a seven-day pattern of four day shifts and three night shifts, with a mandatory 46-hour rest before they are expected back in work.