A WOMAN from Ipswich has died after the car she was travelling in collided with a bridge on the A12.

Police are now piecing together the tragic events which led to the passenger in her 30s being declared dead at the scene and two others having to be airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

A man in his 40s was taken by air ambulance to Royal London Hospital and a second man, in his 30s, was flown to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

The men, both from the Ipswich area, were travelling in the same BMW as the woman when the accident happened at about 8.40am yesterday on the northbound carriageway at Dedham.

One of the men had been released from the wreckage before firefighters from Colchester and Manningtree arrived on the scene. The second man was released from the vehicle by about 10am by crews who used hydraulic cutting equipment and a power saw.

A spokesman from the East of England Ambulance Service said: “The male casualties suffered multiple traumas including broken bones and one of them had a severe head injury. They are both in a serious condition.

“Two air ambulances, one from Norfolk and the other from Essex, attended the scene and were able to land nearby. They were carrying a highly skilled crew of doctors and paramedics who were able to treat the casualties when they arrived and transport them in comfort to the hospitals.”

Three ambulances and a rapid response vehicle were also called to help deal with the incident.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “Officers were called at about 8.40am following reports that a car had struck a bridge on the northbound carriageway at Dedham.

“All emergency services were called to the scene and the A12 was closed northbound at Gun Hill and southbound from the Dedham turnoff.”

The A12 was gridlocked in both directions with long tailbacks as emergency services worked to free the casualties and clear the debris from the road.

Police were able to open the southbound carriageway just before noon to get the traffic moving again. The northbound carriageway was closed for more than six hours and was not reopened until about 3pm after police had completed an initial investigation and engineers had examined the bridge.

Traffic was diverted off the A12 while the road closure was in place causing disruption in several neighbouring villages, particularly Stratford St Mary, as motorists looked for alternative routes.

Any witnesses to the crash are being urged to contact Stanway Road Policing Unit on 0300 333 4444.