FIVE people were taken to hospital following a head-on collision at the entrance to the Army and Navy flyover in Chelmsford.Four of those hurt were in an ambulance car returning from a London hospital following dialysis treatment when the crash happened at about 11.
By Roddy Ashworth
FIVE people were taken to hospital following a head-on collision at the entrance to the Army and Navy flyover in Chelmsford.
Four of those hurt were in an ambulance car returning from a London hospital following dialysis treatment when the crash happened at about 11.30pm yesterday.
The green Vauxhall Zafira they were travelling in was almost stationary at the town-side entrance to the single-lane flyover when a car came towards them from the opposite direction.
The blue Subaru Impreza, which was heading the wrong way across the one-way flyover, hit the Zafira, which was shunted backwards for some distance before coming to a halt.
The people inside were trapped and fire and rescue teams had to cut them free from the wreckage with specialist equipment.
The rear seat passengers were the most seriously injured, with one 77-year-old being trapped for one hour after sustaining serious lower leg injuries and a deep laceration to the right arm.
He was a man sitting in the rear middle seat whose lower legs had crossed and fractured making extraction difficult.
Staff at Broomfield Hospital were alerted to his condition and put a trauma team on standby.
Of the other patients, one 66-year old man was suffering from chest pain and a woman, 50, had injuries to her face, wrist, and lower leg.
There was a fourth male passenger who was taken to hospital with non-serious injuries.
The driver of the Zafira had bruising to chest and suffered neck discomfort.
Close teamwork from all emergency services ensured all patients were extracted as quickly as possible, an ambulance spokeswoman said.
Three ambulances and an incident support unit manager attended the scene.
* Two men in the Subaru, the driver and one passenger, were arrested in connection with the crash and are currently being questioned by police.
They are a 42-year-old man from Basildon and a 38-year-old man from Hillingdon, London.
Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact PC Steve Allum at Chelmsford Road policing Unit on 01245 452918.
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