A BABY lost his fight for life last night in the second crash tragedy on the A12 in nine days.

The 10-month-old boy died after the car in which he was travelling was involved in a collision with a van near Kelvedon yesterday afternoon.

The latest fatality came after the death of a Portuguese woman – named yesterday as Mafalda Sofia Do Nascimento Pio, of Bramford Lane, Ipswich – who was killed when the car she was in crashed into a bridge on the A12 at Dedham.

Yesterday, both carriageways of the road at Marks Tey were closed after a blue Volkswagen Passat collided with a stationary white Iveco van in a lay-by on the northbound carriageway of the Kelvedon bypass.

A spokesman for Essex Police confirmed the baby boy, who had been taken to Colchester General Hospital, died and three other people were seriously injured.

A 28-year-old man suffering from abdominal and back injuries, and a woman, 29, remained in Colchester Hospital last night, but neither were thought to be in a serious condition.

The Essex Air Ambulance crew had attended the incident by road because of poor flying conditions and travelled to the hospital with the casualties to give critical-care support.

A 71-year-old woman was flown by Anglia One, a helicopter from the East Anglian Air Ambulance service, to Queen’s Hospital in Romford suffering from suspected fractures to her pelvis and leg. She remained in a “serious condition” last night

All the casualties were understood to have been travelling in the Volkswagen Passat when the accident happened on the slip road at junction 23 at about 12.20pm.

Roland Chesney, an operations manager for the East of England Ambulance Service, praised motorists for their swift actions at the scene before the emergency services arrived.

He said: “We would like to thank two lorry drivers who gave tremendous assistance at the scene. They were able to provide first aid while emergency crews were on their way and their help was very important and greatly appreciated.”

The road was closed for several hours and traffic was diverted through Kelvedon.

Firefighters from Witham, Tiptree and Colchester were called to deal with incident and reported that the casualties were not trapped inside their vehicle and that it had been dealt with by 1.30pm.

Police are appealing for any witnesses who saw the collision, or events leading up to it, to contact Stanway Road Policing Unit on 0300 333 4444.

- An Ipswich man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving in relation to the crash which killed Mafalda Sofia Do Nascimento Pio on Sunday, September 26.

The collision, which left the A12 closed for several hours, left two men fighting for their lives, although they are now recovering at home.

A spokeswoman for Essex Police said a 50-year-old man from Ipswich had been arrested and bailed until December 22 pending further inquiries.