Relatives were today being comforted after a motorist died at the wheel of his car which veered off a busy Southend road.

Police believe the 75-year-old man, who has not yet been named, suffered a heart attack.

Emergency crews battled to remove the man from his car in Royal Artillery Way just after 8pm on Saturday, in the hope that he was still alive.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash, which saw the man's red Daewoo Lanos end up on its side in a ditch near the junction of Eldbert Close. Ambulance crews were first on the scene, followed by Southend firefighters.

Station officer Peter Bennett said: "By the time we got there the ambulance staff had the man out of the car and into the back of the ambulance.

"It is believed he had a heart attack as he was driving along."

A post mortem examination will be carried out in the next few days to determine the cause of death.

Published Monday, May 19, 2003

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