A man has died after the car he was in collided with a road sign, split in half and threw passengers clear.

Three men, all thought to be in their 20s, were in a red Rover 416 travelling down the on-slip to the A12 from the A138 at Boreham at about 2.15am yesterday. The car then left the road and struck a large sign.

A spokesman for Essex Police said the men were thrown from the car by the force of the impact, which caused the sign to rip through the vehicle's bodywork.

All three men were taken to Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford.

The driver and front seat passenger were not seriously injured but the rear seat passenger died shortly after arrival at the hospital.

An ambulance crew from Braintree discovered the wreckage while making their way to another emergency call and called for back-up from Witham and Maldon ambulance teams.

Neil Hutchinson, of the Braintree ambulance crew, said: "Considering the extent of the damage caused when the car collided with a large traffic sign, the two men who survived the crash were extremely lucky."

The other two men were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and spent yesterday in police custody.

Police say the red Rover may have been in Chelmsford town centre before the crash and are seeking any witnesses who may have seen the car before the crash, or witnessed the accident.

Anyone who thinks they might have seen the car or its occupants late on Saturday night, or in the early hours of yesterday morning, is asked to contact Chelmsford road police 01245 452918.

Published Monday August 23, 2004