AN 88-YEAR-OLD man was killed and his elderly wife left seriously injured after a three-car pile-up yesterday afternoon.The pensioner, from Stanway, near Colchester, died after the accident which happened at about 2.

AN 88-YEAR-OLD man was killed and his elderly wife left seriously injured after a three-car pile-up yesterday afternoon.

The pensioner, from Stanway, near Colchester, died after the accident which happened at about 2.10pm yesterday.

He becomes the 98th person to die on Essex roads this year.

His silver Peugeot had just turned on to the B1018 Southminster Road, on the Dengie Peninsular at Althorne from Dairy Road, when it was in collision with a Ford Focus travelling towards Latchingdon.

There was a further collision with a stationary BMW.

Two ambulances, the air ambulance and a paramedic manager were sent to the scene, and battled to save the 88-year-old died, but he later died.

His 85-year-old wife, who was sitting in the rear seat of the Peugeot, was flown to Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, with serious back injuries.

The woman driver of the Ford Focus, from Rayleigh, received only minor injuries and the local BMW driver escaped unharmed.

Essex Ambulance Service operations manger, Jim Wright, said: “It is not clear exactly what happened but two of the three vehicles have suffered extensive damage.

“The ambulance crews got the elderly man out of the wreckage of his vehicle and battled for over 25-minutes to save him but their attempts were unsuccessful.

“The man's 85-year-old wife who was a rear seat passenger was flown to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford with a serious injury to her lower back.

“A 29-year-old woman from Rayleigh in one of the other cars injured her left leg, had seatbelt and airbag injuries and was very shaken.

“A man in the third vehicle was checked out at the scene but was unhurt and did not require to go to hospital.”

Police are asking any witnesses to contact Chelmsford road policing unit on 01245 452918.