A24 crash victim had ‘shard of glass’ in head

Edward Paton-Philip, of north Horsham, was driving directly behind the two vans when he witnessed the crash near the Hop Oast Roundabout by Horsham just after 10am.

A wheelbarrow was thrown from out the back of one of the vehicles and smashed into Mr Paton-Philip’s bonnet and windscreen but luckily did not break through into the car.

The man, aged in his 20s, parked on the side of the dual carriageway 50 yards ahead of the collision and ran to one of the drivers.

“It was pretty terrifying,” he told the County Times.

“One guy was unconscious and bleeding from all parts of his head.”

Mr Paton-Philip checked the driver’s pulse.

Soon after an off-duty firefighter arrived on the scene and secured him in place before the air ambulance took the victim, a 57-year-old man from Havant, to King’s College Hospital in London with serious injuries.

Mr Paton-Philip said the driver of the other van, a 30-year-old Worthing man in a white Mercedes Sprinter, appeared to have had ‘a shard of glass in his head’.

He stressed the importance of having basic first-aid training and said it made him deal with the situation in a calmer manner.

The scene was examined by Sussex Police before vehicles were removed from the road.

There were numerous reports of congestion.

Sussex Police are appealing for witnesses.

Sergeant Stewart Goodwin of the Sussex Road Policing Unit said: “The Transit van was stationary at the time of the collision and the Sprinter van collided with the rear of the Transit.

“Anyone who saw what happened is asked to call us on 101 quoting Operation Bodmin.

“You can also email us at [email protected]”

He added: “Emergency services and the Highway Authority appreciate the patience and understanding of drivers who will have had their journeys disrupted while the casualties were attended to, the scene was examined and the vehicles removed.”