A NUMBER of motorists have had lucky escapes after three crashes on the region's roads in the space of 15 hours.The first happened at 3.30pm yesterday on the A14 near Stowmarket.

A NUMBER of motorists have had lucky escapes after three crashes on the region's roads in the space of 15 hours.

The first happened at 3.30pm yesterday on the A14 near Stowmarket. Two cars, a van and an articulated lorry were involved in the accident and one woman was airlifted to Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.

About three hours later a motorcyclist was injured in an accident in Great Blakenham and was taken to Ipswich Hospital for treatment.

And at 6.15am two vehicles were in a head on collision on the A1071 near Hintlesham. Neither driver was seriously injured.

It was a very lucky escape for the driver of a Mercedes who managed to avoid serious injury when he was involved in the four-vehicle pile up on the A14.

His car was in the smash involving a green Land Rover Discovery which flipped on to its roof following a tyre blow out while travelling at 70mph on the eastbound carriageway, close the A1120 turn off at Stowmarket.

The woman driver of the green Discovery was airlifted to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with serious injuries to her hand.

It is believed the Discovery vehicle had hit the nearside barrier following the blowout and ended up on its roof in front of the lorry, which managed to stop.

But the after effects were felt by the Mercedes E200 car which smashed into the lorry shortly after – and a grey Fiesta van also became embroiled on the crash.

And it was the driver of the Mercedes car who Suffolk Accident and Rescue Service (SARS) Doctor Andy Mason believes is lucky to be alive.

He said: "The lucky person was the driver of the Mercedes. The car was really badly wrecked but when you looked inside the airbag was fully inflated and all the space around his seat was clear – he also had his seatbelt on."

Dr Mason said the driver initially refused hospital treatment but he was later reported to have been taken by ambulance to Ipswich Hospital.

Fire crews from Stowmarket, Newmarket and Ipswich also attended the accident but were not needed to cut anyone free so helped police in making sure the area was safe.

Traffic came to a standstill for almost two hours while the emergency services worked to clear the debris.

Diversions were set up directing traffic away from the scene leaving long queues of traffic going through the narrow streets of Needham Market as rush hour built up.

Police were later called to Great Blakenham to reports of a motorcyclist in the road.

It is unclear what caused the accident that happened shortly before 6.30pm yesterday or whether the female motorcyclist, from Barham, was in collision with another vehicle at the junction of Bramford Road and Stowmarket Road. However, she was injured when she came off her Honda bike and taken to Ipswich Hospital.

Early today, at 6.15am a Toyota Corina and a Peugeot 405 were involved in a head on collision on the A1071 between Hadleigh and Hintlesham.

The accident, which happened outside Claremont Nursery, left the road partially blocked by one of the vehicles.

The second vehicle was left straddling a water-filled ditch as a result of the accident.

Police described the male drivers as "walking wounded" but the Toyota driver was taken to Ipswich Hospital by ambulance.

And at 8.25am today four vehicles were involved in a minor collision on the slip road on to the eastbound carriageway of the A14 at Nacton.

Nobody was injured in the accident, which was thought to be little more than a shunt, and the vehicles did not cause a major obstruction to rush hour traffic.