ESSEX/HARLOW: Man in serious condition after car hits tree in early morning road crash

INVESTIGATION: Road traffic police at the scene of the smash yesterday

EXCLUSIVE: A man is in a serious condition in hospital after a car hit a tree on a roundabout in an early morning road crash.

Essex Police officers were called to Church Langley Way, Harlow, Essex, at around 5.35am yesterday, Monday March 12, following reports of a road traffic collision.

A police spokeswoman said: "On arrival officers found a white Mercedes had been involved in a collision with a tree and a man had suffered serious injuries.

SKID MARKS: Police were seen looking at tyre tracks on roundabout

"The man, aged in his 20s, was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital where he remains in a serious condition."

Police specialist road accident investigators spent several hours at the roundabout junction with the A414 working out what happened.

A police helicopter was seen overhead scouring the surrounding area from above.

The spokeswoman added: "Following the collision officers, with the assistance of the helicopter, carried out a search of the area to establish whether anyone else had been injured in the crash.

EYE IN THE SKY: The Essex Police helicopter checked the area for other casualties

"Enquiries are still ongoing to establish who may have been in or driving the vehicle and to find out exactly what led to the collision."

A spokesman for the National Police Air Service, which operates the helicopter out of Boreham, near Chelmsford, Essex, said: "We were in the area checking the scene of an accident that occurred during the night to ensure there were no injured people lost in the undergrowth. The area was checked and confirmed clear."

Witnesses to the collision or anyone who may have seen the vehicle in the Church Langley area in the moments leading up to the crash are asked to contact the Chigwell Road Policing Unit on 101.