A VILLAGE community is coming to terms with the death of a man in an horrific road crash which left another driver fighting for his life in hospital.People from Bures, near Sudbury, spoke of their shock at Friday night's tragedy, which happened just outside the village on the B1508 Sudbury road and brought this year's death toll on Suffolk's roads to three in nine days.

A VILLAGE community is coming to terms with the death of a man in an horrific road crash which left another driver fighting for his life in hospital.

People from Bures, near Sudbury, spoke of their shock at Friday night's tragedy, which happened just outside the village on the B1508 Sudbury road and brought this year's death toll on Suffolk's roads to three in nine days.

John Wheeler, of Moat Lane, Bures, died after a Ford Galaxy he was driving was involved in an accident with a Ford Mondeo just before 6.30pm. Mr Wheeler was taken to Colchester General Hospital where he died. A Suffolk police spokesman said that Mr Wheeler's age was not available last night.

Both drivers were severely trapped in their cars and had to be freed by fire crews using heavy-duty cutting equipment.

Basil Pilgrim, a parish council member for the past 50 years who lives close to the scene of the collision, said the thoughts of the village were with the families of both victims.

He said: "We are all very saddened that the man who died came from Bures. It's a terrible thing to happen and it is something we are all thinking about."

The other driver, who is being treated at West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds, was said to be in a "very poorly" condition last night. He comes from White Colne in Essex - only a few miles from Bures.

Mr Pilgrim, who was chairman of the parish council for 25 years, said he was not aware of any safety problems with the road.

"We drove along the stretch on Saturday on our way in to Sudbury and it doesn't seem to be a very bad section at all. There is a slight bend but nothing which looks like it could have caused this accident.

"In fact, the stretch has just been resurfaced and appears to be in very good condition."

Police investigating the accident are now appealing for anyone who saw what happened to come forward. They particularly want to hear from the driver of a Landrover Discovery believed to have been in the area at the time. Anyone with information should call police on 01473 613500.

Meanwhile, a six-year-old boy injured when the white tipper truck,he was travelling in was crushed between a green dustcart and an articulated lorry was still in a critical condition last night.

The youngster, who was trapped for almost an hour, is being treated in the intensive care unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, where doctors yesterday said his condition remained "critical but stable"

He was airlifted to the hospital with serious head, pelvic and abdominal injuries after the accident, which happened as he was being driven to school by his father on the B1506 road between Kentford and Newmarket at about 8am on Thursday.

The crash happened just yards from the scene of fatal accident only 48 hours earlier. Garry Nicholls, 24, of Crayford in Kent, died when the lorry he was a passenger in was in collision with a Nissan Terrano.

The driver of the Terrano, who has not been named but is 54 and comes from the Mildenhall area, was said to be in a "critical but stable" condition at Addenbrooke's last night.

The drivers of both lorries were not hurt.

Anyone who witnessed either accident is asked to contact Suffolk police on 01473 613500.

A man and woman, believed to be husband and wife, remain in hospital after they were seriously injured in a collision on the A143 at Great Barton, near Bury St Edmunds, last weekend.

The woman's condition is described as "critical but stable" and the man is said to be "stable".

There were 59 people killed on Suffolk's roads last year - the highest death toll for 13 years.