AN ELDERLY man has suffered life-threatening injuries in a crash on the A35.

Emergency services rushed to the scene at Monkton Wyld between Charmouth and Axminster this morning. 

Police have said that a 75-year-old man from Cornwall, who was airlifted to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, is in a critical condition.

A 71-year-old woman also suffered serious injuries to her legs and was taken to Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital by road ambulance.

Police were called to the scene just after 10am, with the A35 closed to eastbound traffic from the Hunters Lodge junction near Axminster, before the road was reopened at around 2.45pm.

A diversion was put in place by police while the incident was being dealt with.

During the road closure, Highways England urged commercial drivers to “allow extra time” for their journey and warned that some local routes in west Dorset were not suitable for HGVs.

A spokesman for Dorset Police said the incident involved a black Vauxhall Vivaro van registered to a Weymouth company and a silver Skoda Fabia registered to a man from Cornwall.

The elderly man was driving the Skoda and the injured woman was riding as a passenger in the front seat.

The driver of the van was uninjured.

A spokesman for South Western Ambulance Service Trust said: "Both casualties are elderly and have head injuries and the man also has a possible fractured jaw.

"Both the injured people were travelling in the car."

The Devon Air Ambulance was required by the ambulance service to airlift the man. 

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service was also called to the scene to help free two people from the car.

Two crews, one from Lyme Regis and one from Charmouth were called by South Western Ambulance Service to attend the incident.

A spokeswoman from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We were called at 10:18am by the ambulance service.

“The incident was a two vehicle road traffic collision, a van versus car. Two elderly patients were contained in the car.

“A male casualty was cut free with hydraulic equipment by 10:40am and then crews continued to release the second casualty and they were both released by 11:05am.”

Dorset Police is appealing to members of the public for information.

Police Constable James Howes, of Dorset Police’s Road Traffic Unit, said: “I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the collision or the manner of driving of either vehicle prior to the incident to please contact Dorset Police.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police on 101, quoting incident number 10:94.