A120 Marks Tey crash sees driver serious injuries

The A120 near Marks Tey came to a halt for more than five hours on Monday following a nasty smash involving a lorry and a car.

Essex Police officers attended the scene at about midday and immediately closed off the road, resulting in queues of traffic near to Poplar Nurseries.

The East of England Ambulance Service also sent a Hazardous Area Response Team, two ambulances and an ambulance officer response vehicle.

The Essex and Herts Air Ambulance was also called into action, as were firefighters who helped support paramedics while they assisted casualties.

As a result of the crash, the driver of the car sustained potentially life-changing injuries, while the HGV driver sustained minor injuries.

Both motorists were taken to hospital for further treatment.

 A motorist, who was driving towards Coggeshall and saw the aftermath of the incident, said: "Police cars had swarmed a van and there were a lot of officers on the ground.

"It looked pretty serious and I hope whoever was involved is okay. 

"The traffic was building up really quickly and I imagine it got significantly worse as time went on."

Jackie Maclean, Colchester councillor for Marks Tey and Layer, was shocked and surprised to hear of such a crash in the area.

She said: “There is a speed camera there, so it is a bit odd for there to be a crash there.

“The roads are heavily used around here at the moment with the A12 works making the area a lot busier.

“The congestion is huge but there is not enough alternative transport. With trains on strike as well, the area seems busier than ever.

“I do feel for people on the roads at the moment, especially around Stanway.

“The congestion is shocking, the A12 needs to be finished sooner than later because if you can’t use the A12 you will be going every route you can to get around it.

“We’re lucky to have the air ambulance on our doorstep to respond to incidents like this.”

Essex Police has now launch an appeal for information following the crash.

A spokesman said: "If you have any information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage in relation to this incident, then please get in contact with us.

"You can call us on 101. Please quote incident 536 of 10/07/2023."