FIVE people are recovering today after a horrific crash which blocked the notorious A140 danger road for two hours.One woman was airlifted to hospital after the accident, which happened at Stonham Parva near the village's former post office.

By Amanda Cresswell

FIVE people are recovering today after a horrific crash which blocked the notorious A140 danger road for two hours.

One woman was airlifted to hospital after the accident, which happened at Stonham Parva near the village's former post office.

The emergency service received reports of a person trapped in the wreckage of the vehicle at 12.15pm on Sunday.

The overturned car which had contained five people, caused traffic tailbacks as emergency services attended the scene. No other vehicles are thought to have been involved.

Police, three ambulances, the air ambulance, two doctors from Suffolk Accident Rescue Service and three fire crews from Debenham, Needham Market and Princes Street attended.

The maroon Vauxhall Cavalier was carrying three men and two women, three of them in their teens.

They were from Ipswich, Diss or Norwich. Diversions were in place until 2.45pm.

One of the female passengers was found outside the car and may have been thrown from it. She sustained an arm injury which was not thought to be serious.

A female passenger in the back seat was trapped for about 40 minutes and released by firefighters at the scene. She was taken by air ambulance to hospital with suspected concussion.

Three others were taken to Ipswich Hospital by land ambulance. A male passenger suffered whiplash injuries and was treated in hospital, as was the 17-year-old female driver of the car.

One passenger had an arm injury and another had suspected concussion. The fifth passenger was unhurt.

"It was a bit of a confused scene, as you can imagine," said Dr Andy Mason of Suffolk Accident Rescue Service, who was at the scene shortly after the accident along with his colleague, Dr Jeremy Field.

Evening Star readers are raising cash for Sars, and we have long been campaigning for improvements on the road which has claimed several lives.

Last Wednesday a crash between two vehicles on the A140, outside Stoke Ash Primary School left a van driver with neck and back injuries and a young pupil suffering minor injuries.

The incident prompted more calls for a speed limit to be introduced and more protection for children who wait to cross the busy main road.

Last year, two men were seriously injured in a crash at the same spot.

Stoke Ash and Thwaite parish council chairman Mike Langan said the road was a persistent problem.

Suffolk County Council has a ten-year plan of schemes to improve safety along the A140, and David Chenery, the council's traffic safety manager, said its accident investigation team would be looking into the incident.

Suffolk county councillor David Wood has said at a council meeting it was not the A140 that was dangerous – instead, he blamed "impatient idiots" for its appalling safety record.

Police are appealing for any witnesses to Sunday's accident to contact them. Anyone with information should phone Sergeant Steve Brooks on 01473 613500.