A serious crash brought traffic to a standstill on Colchester Road, Wivenhoe, yesterday morning.
A young man was taken to Colchester General Hospital for “further assessment and care” after being freed from his wrecked car, a spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service confirmed.
Two fire engines from Colchester Fire Station were called to the scene at 10:14 am and had managed to remove the young man by midday.
The accident occurred where Boundary Road meets Colchester Road. Officers cordoned off the road to let fire crews and paramedics act swiftly and safely, as well as to protect pedestrians and other motorists.
Traffic surrounding the University of Essex was halted for hours; cars were doing three-point turns in the middle of the traffic light junction where Colchester Road meets Brightlingsea Road, despite the presence of police officers.
Joe Preston, a Traffic Warden at the University of Essex, said at the scene: “The van, I believe, was looking to turn in. The fire service had to use the ‘Jaws of Life’ to get the guy out of the car.”
The ‘Jaws of Life’ is a nickname for large-scale cutting tools used by the fire service to free people from their vehicles.
The university opened a barrier on Boundary Road to a route normally exclusive to buses, to allow traffic to leave the area.
The roads returned to normal after 12:15 pm.