A POST mortem due to be held today should throw light on the circumstances in which an OAP car driver died.It is uncertain whether 79-year-old Harold Large died as a result of colliding into a town centre garden wall or whether he died beforehand and lost control of his vehicleTributes continue to be paid to the pensioner, of Coltsfoot Road, Ipswich, whose red Citroen car left the road and demolished a garden wall in Luther Road, Ipswich.

A POST mortem due to be held today should throw light on the circumstances in which an OAP car driver died.

It is uncertain whether 79-year-old Harold Large died as a result of colliding into a town centre garden wall or whether he died beforehand and lost control of his vehicle

Tributes continue to be paid to the pensioner, of Coltsfoot Road, Ipswich, whose red Citroen car left the road and demolished a garden wall in Luther Road, Ipswich.

Police said the vehicle appeared to have been heading into town shortly before 11pm on Friday but ended up facing downhill on Belstead Road after the smash.

Gladys and Ivan Fisher said they had been neighbours of Mr Large for approximately 44 years.

"He was a lovely man. He used to come in every morning for coffee regular as clockwork after his wife died," said Mrs Fisher.

"He was a friendly man, never had a bad word to say for anyone."

Wiping away tears she described how Mr Large, who worked for the former Eastern Electricity until he retired, had taken down a section of fence between their two rear gardens to create an access so either couple could call on the other for help.

She said he was a keen member of the Conservative club, a bowls player and had enjoyed travelling, regularly taking trips to France on Eurostar in recent years. He had also won prizes for the way he kept his allotment.

Mr Large was a widower, whose wife, Evelyn, died about five years ago just before the couple were due to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. They had one daughter, Yvonne, who is believed to live in Cambridgeshire.

Firefighters from Princes Street and Colchester Road attended the accident and pulled Mr Large from the car to try and resuscitate him.

Karl Rolfe, assistant divisional officer, said: "The driver wasn't trapped but he needed serious medical attention so we got him out quickly. Bystanders said he had shown signs of life prior to our arrival.

"A crew did try to sustain life but unfortunately to no avail. We did what we could until the doctors and paramedics arrived."

The fatal accident was the second on Suffolk's roads within a matter of hours on Friday after a van driver died when his vehicle was in collision with a 13-tonne lorry on the A140 at Brockford, near Eye.

The victim was named by police as Barry Pope, 64, of New Costessey , near Norwich.

Lorry driver Peter Griffin, from Witham, was injured in the collision but was discharged from hospital over the weekend.

Fire crews from Debenham, Stowmarket and Ipswich had to release both accident victims from the wreckage, which blocked the road for several hours.

Campaigners have repeatedly called for further safety measures on the A140, which has now claimed 79 lives in just over 20 years.

Police officers are appealing for witnesses to both the crash on the A140, which happened about 3.15pm, and to the Ipswich accident to contact them on 01473 613500.

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One person was taken to Ipswich Hospital by ambulance with a back injury following the accident, which caused two-mile tailbacks. Emergency services, including two fire crews from Ipswich, attended the incident.>