A MAN was critically ill in hospital today after his car crashed on the A38 Droitwich bypass just before the evening rush hour yesterday.

The Worcester-bound vehicle flipped on to its roof and on to the central reservation of the dual carriageway. Debris was thrown across the road in the crash, which happened at about 3.45pm.

The man, thought to be 63 years old and from the city, was flown by air ambulance to Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham, with head injuries after fire crews freed him from the wreckage of his red Citroen Picasso.

Another person - who was not directly involved in

the incident - was also taken to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital and was thought to have been suffering from a panic attack.

An ambulance spokesman said: "Based on reports, we sent a helicopter, an ambulance, a paramedic response unit and a doctor from Bromsgrove."

Passers-by watched the drama unfold from a bridge over the bypass, which was directly over the accident site, near the Ombersley turn-off.

Diversions were still in place early this morning as the road was closed for the clean-up but traffic is now thought to be flowing.

A crash earlier the same day left another car on the grass verge among trees and bushes when it veered off the same stretch of road but the two incidents were not linked.