A 22-YEAR-OLD driver died after he was thrown from his car in an horrific road crash.Ricky Thompson, from Norfolk, lost control of his blue Mondeo on the slip-road between the northbound A12 and the A133 at Spring Lane, Colchester.

A 22-YEAR-OLD driver died after he was thrown from his car in an horrific road crash.

Ricky Thompson, from Norfolk, lost control of his blue Mondeo on the slip-road between the northbound A12 and the A133 at Spring Lane, Colchester.

The car hit a road sign, overturned and the man – who was not wearing a seatbelt – was catapulted from the vehicle.

The accident happened shortly after midnight yesterday .

A doctor, an officer and three ambulances were sent to the scene, but the man, from Alexandra Way, Attleborough, died as a result of his injuries.

He and two male passengers – aged 20 and 23 and both from Attleborough – were taken to Colchester General Hospital. The surviving men were treated for minor injuries.

Meanwhile, earlier in the evening on Thursday a man was taken to hospital in Colchester with serious head injuries after a separate road accident.

Essex Ambulance Service was called to Abbotts Road at around 7.30pm after reports of a man falling from a moving car.

An ambulance, a rapid response vehicle and a paramedic manager were sent to the scene.

Clinical Operations Manager, John Nicholls, said: "When we arrived on scene we found the man, who is believed to be about 20 and from Colchester, lying unconscious on the pavement.

"As we started treating him for serious head and chest injuries he started coming round.

"Due to his condition, the paramedic on the rapid response vehicle travelled with the ambulance.

"As they were on the way to Colchester General Hospital the man stopped breathing but the crew used their advanced life support skills to ventilate him and he was breathing by himself by the time he got to Accident and Emergency.

"There was a car at the scene with a man and a woman inside – they were not hurt."

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident.