POLICE have released the name of a 38-year-old Woman from Clacton who died in a horrific car crash on the A12.

Rachel Aylott was a passenger in the rear seat of a black Toyota Rav 4 which was involved in a collision with a lorry at about 10am on Wednesday.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Toyota, a 33-year-old man, was airlifted to the Royal London Hospital with serious injuries.

A 21-year-old man, a passenger in the Toyota, was air-lifted to Queen’s Hospital with serious injuries.

There were two other casualties in the car, a 21-year-old woman with serious injuries and a man in his 30s with minor injuries, who were both taken by land ambulance to Colchester General Hospital.

The man has now been released from hospital. All the occupants of the Toyota are from the Clacton area.

Police are appealing for witnesses following the fatal road collision which involved the Toyota and a red and white curtain-sided heavy goods vehicle on the northbound carriageway near the Witham slip road.

The road was closed in both directions and two casualties were taken to hospitals in London by separate air ambulances.

The driver of the lorry was uninjured.

The southbound carriageway was closed to allow the air ambulances to land. One lane northbound was reopened at about 12.35pm.

The on-slip northbound at Witham was also closed while the emergency services attended.

Pete Bumphrey, duty operations manager for the East of England Ambulance Service, said: “Our thoughts are with those affected by this terrible incident along with their families and loved ones.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Stanway road policing unit on 0300 333 4444.