A YOUNG man broke his back in four places in an accident in which a car made off without stopping, police have said.Keen golfer James Hunt, 20, was heading for the driving range on Easter Sunday in his blue Mini Cooper with a Union Jack roof when he was overtaken by a silver hatchback car in Birchwood Road, Dedham, at 2.
A YOUNG man broke his back in four places in an accident in which a car made off without stopping, police have said.
Keen golfer James Hunt, 20, was heading for the driving range on Easter Sunday in his blue Mini Cooper with a Union Jack roof when he was overtaken by a silver hatchback car in Birchwood Road, Dedham, at 2.10pm.
The silver hatchback spotted a vehicle coming in the opposite direction and cut back in front of the Mini Cooper, an Essex Police spokeswoman said.
As Mr Hunt tried to avoid colliding with the hatchback, he lost control of his car, hit a transit mini-bus travelling in the opposite direction and overturned, she added.
Initially it was thought Mr Hunt had only suffered bruising in the crash but doctors at Colchester General hospital kept him in for observation and to carry out x-rays.
Yesterday traffic officers were told the x-rays show he has fractured four vertebrae in his lower spine and possibly also chipped the bone.
Mr Hunt, a trainee accountant, will now undergo an MRI scan to establish the extent of the damage and whether there will be any permanent damage.
The spokeswoman said: “The best scenario is that he will be immobilised for at least six weeks.”
She said: “It is quite possible that the occupants of the silver hatchback, which may have been a Honda Civic, were aware of the crash. At the very least they would have been aware that the driver had to cut back in tightly in front of the Mini Cooper to avoid a head-on collision.”
The driver of the vehicle is described as a man of large build and the female passenger was a blond woman.
Mr Hunt, who attended Philip Morant School, Colchester, lives with his parents and sisters aged 18 and 21, in Boxhouse Lane, Dedham.
The occupants of the hatchback, or anyone else with information, is asked to contact Stanway road policing unit on 01206 762512.
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