St Leonards man hurt after car catches fire in ditch crash

Emergency services, including three fire engines, were called to Harrier Lane in Battle, at its junction with Marley Lane, at 2.30pm after the white Nissan 370Z GT Nismo sports coupe crashed.

The front seat passenger, the 29-year-old man from St Leonards, managed to get out despite sustaining serious injuries but the driver was trapped in the vehicle.

People who rushed to the scene formed a chain with buckets and used a garden hose to douse the flames before firefighters arrived to ensure the blaze was out and begin extracting the driver, a 49-year-old man from Battle.

He was flown to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, by the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Ambulance and currently remains in a serious condition having suffered multiple injuries and burns.

The passenger was taken by ambulance to the Conquest Hospital where he was detained for treatment – he is understood to be in a stable condition.

The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service team was mobilised to the incident and crews made the area safe for members of the public.

The incident resulted in traffic disruption and children awaiting collection from Battle and Langton Primary School were delayed.

Anyone who saw what happened is asked to email [email protected] or phone 101, quoting Operation Colemore.

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