Weekend of tragedy on the roads

Mar 13 2006 By Steve Johnson, Birmingham Mail

A DRIVER from the Black Country has died and two other men were today fighting for their lives after a weekend of carnage on the roads.

Police today re-appealed for information following a smash in Soho Road at the junction with Grove Lane, Hands-worth, at 2.35am on Saturday.

A 21-year-old male driver of a Mercedes from Willenhall died as a result of his injuries last night.

And in a separate accident last night, two men were left fighting for their lives after they were hurled from a car which smashed into a lamp post in Oldbury.

The accident happened just after 9pm in Causeway Green Road, Langley, Oldbury.

West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman Trevor Ford said a total of six men had been injured in the smash, two of them critically.

"It appears there was only one car involved which went out of control and collided with a lamp post.

"Several people in the car were thrown out of the vehicle and two were severely injured. Four others were also hurt. We had six ambulances at the scene, with paramedics battling to stabilise the casualties, who were taken to Sandwell General Hospital and the City Hospital."

The road policing unit at Langley appealed for information on 0845 1135000.

In the Handsworth accident on Saturday, a Mercedes 190E was travelling into the city when it collided with a Peugeot 307 which then hit a Volkswagen Golf.

The Mercedes driver was taken to hospital with serious head and chest injuries and died last night.

Seven other people were taken to hospital for treatment for more minor injuries.

Two passengers in the Mercedes wre injured. A 22-year-old man from Wednesbury, suffered a broken jaw and cuts, and a 17-year-old woman from Dudley suffered spinal injuries.

The driver of the Golf, a woman from Dudley, sustained a broken nose and broken ribs.