A DRIVER has described how she saw her life flash before her eyes when a car driving the wrong way down the A12 came towards her at speed.

Several members of the public called the police to report a car travelling the wrong way down the dual carriageway between junctions 31, for Stratford, and 32, for East Bergholt, just before 8.25pm on Monday.

The elderly driver of the vehicle, a small white car, was heading towards Colchester, only on the northbound side of the carriageway towards Ipswich.

During the ensuing chaos, her vehicle collided with a Mercedes causing a Mazda behind to take evasive action, crashing into the central reservation.

Gazette: Smash - a car driving the wrong way down the A12 caused a crash near East Bergholt. Picture: Kealey Rust Smash - a car driving the wrong way down the A12 caused a crash near East Bergholt. Picture: Kealey Rust

The driver failed to stop at the scene and carried on driving on the wrong side of the road.

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Elly Barry, who was travelling home to Ipswich just after the crash, had an incredible near miss with the vehicle shortly after the crash took place.

She said: “I moved over to overtake a lorry and saw a car coming towards me flashing its lights on the opposite side of the carriageway.

“I didn’t know at the time but they were trying to warn me.

“I then spotted a white car flying straight towards me. I swerved and lost control of the back end of my car.

“My car ended up going sideways and I came to a halt in the sliproad.”

Police area appealing for witnesses to come forward. Picture: Kealey Rust

Police area appealing for witnesses to come forward. Picture: Kealey Rust

Ms Barry, 24, who had been visiting her partner’s home in Little Totham on Monday, said the driver seemed “completely oblivious” to what was happening.

She said: “They were driving as if they were on the right side of the road.

“They made no attempt to avoid me, it was me who swerved.

“I am glad everyone has been so lucky.

“I saw my life flash before my eyes as the car was coming towards me.

“Everyone who was on that road must have had an angel watching over them. It is incredible no one was hurt or killed.”

Suffolk Police are appealing for those who saw the driver using the wrong carriageway to come forward.

Anyone who saw anything, or has dashcam footage, should call 101, quoting reference 37/25754/21.